Ravindra Puri, President of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, confirmed on Wednesday that the Akharas will not be participating in the Snan at the ongoing Mahakumbh Mela due to the chaos caused by the large crowds. He appealed to the devotees to take part in the ‘snan’ on Vasant Panchami instead of today.
Puri explained that the incident occurred because devotees were eager to reach the Sangam Ghat. “We are saddened by the incident. Thousands of devotees were with us, and in the interest of the public, we have decided that the Akharas will not participate in the Snan today. I appeal to the people to come on Vasant Panchami for the snan instead of today. The incident happened because devotees wanted to reach the Sangam Ghat, but they can take a dip at any ghat where they can see the Holy Ganga. It is not the fault of the administration; managing crores of people is not easy. We must cooperate with the authorities,” he said.
Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti also expressed her sadness over the incident, stressing that the entire Mela Kshetra is sacred, not just the Triveni Ghat. “This is a sad incident. Whatever happened was not right. The Akhara Parishad has decided to cancel the Amrit Snan in the public interest. The number of gathered devotees was larger than anticipated. I appeal to the people that the entire Mela Kshetra is Kumbh, so they may take a bath at any ghat, not just the Triveni Ghat,” she said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to review the situation at the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj. The Prime Minister called for swift support measures to manage the crowd effectively.
Rescue operations are underway, and those injured in the crowd-related chaos have been taken to Central Hospital. The incident occurred as an estimated 80 to 100 million devotees gathered at the Sangam Ghats for the ‘Amrit Snan’ on the occasion of ‘Mauni Amavasya.’
‘Mauni Amavasya,’ which marks the day of the second Shahi Snan, is expected to draw millions of people. Other important bathing dates during the Maha Kumbh include February 3 (Basant Panchami—Third Shahi Snan), February 12 (Maghi Purnima), and February 26 (Maha Shivaratri).
