After a brief delay caused by large crowds, saints and Akharas resumed their procession towards the Triveni Sangam for the second Amrit Snan of Maha Kumbh 2025 on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, Wednesday morning. The procession had been halted earlier due to a stampede-like situation as thousands of devotees gathered at the Sangam Ghats.
Heavy security was deployed around the Triveni Sangam to ensure the safety of the saints and Akharas as they made their way for the holy dip. Police helped clear the path for the procession, with special arrangements for crowd control in place.
Mahakumbh DIG Vaibhav Krishna reassured the public, stating that the situation was now under control. “We are expecting over 10 crore people today. Our personnel have been managing crowd regulation since last evening. Devotees are bathing peacefully at all the ghats. There was significant crowd pressure in the morning, which led many Akharas to delay their participation until the crowds are better controlled,” he said.
He also mentioned that the Akhara Marg and Akhara Ghat were ready for the Akharas and saints, with all areas sanitized for their procession. Although the exact number of stampede victims is still not confirmed, Krishna assured that the injured were receiving medical treatment.
Mahant Ravindra Puri, President of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, noted that due to the vast crowd, the saints would go to the ghats in smaller groups. “Today, we will bathe our deities. Given the large crowd, we will proceed in smaller numbers to ensure safety. We are asking our saints and seers to avoid unnecessary movements unless essential. The next Amrit Snan on Vasant Panchami will be a grand occasion,” he said.
Puri further emphasized that bathing deities would be considered as performing the sacred dip, and the Akharas would not carry out large processions this time.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also addressed the situation, urging devotees to take a dip at the nearest ghats instead of pushing towards the Sangam Ghat due to the overwhelming crowds. “Around 8 to 10 crore devotees are in Prayagraj today, and the movement towards the Sangam Nose has caused pressure. Some devotees were injured trying to cross barricades on Akhara Marg, but they have been shifted to hospitals,” he said.
The CM also noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had checked on the situation multiple times and that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Governor Anandiben Patel were in constant communication with state officials.
By 10 am on Wednesday, the Uttar Pradesh government reported that 36.1 million devotees had already bathed at the Triveni Sangam, a sign of the large turnout for the Mauni Amavasya festivities.