Maha Kumbh stampede: Bengal govt to send team to UP to gauge situation

The West Bengal government on Wednesday decided to send a team to Maha Kumbh as it did not receive any information from the Uttar Pradesh administration about the condition of pilgrims from the state following a stampede at the mega religious gathering, a senior official said in Kolkata.

A team of officials from the resident commissioner's office in New Delhi would go to Prayagraj (Allahabad) to take stock of the situation, he added.

At least 30 people were killed and 60 injured in the pre-dawn stampede in the Sangam area as millions of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on Mauni Amavasya, according to official data. "We are unable to get information about the conditions of those who have gone from our state to Prayagraj for the Kumbh Mela. Attempts to get information from the UP government did not yield any result.

"Following this, we have decided to send a team from the office of the resident commissioner in New Delhi to Uttar Pradesh to understand the situation and condition of the pilgrims from West Bengal," the bureaucrat said.

Earlier in the day, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee offered her condolences to the bereaved families. In an X post, she stated that her experiences of organising the annual Gangasagar Mela in Bengal warrant "maximal planning and care" to handle huge assemblies such as the Kumbh.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday ordered a judicial inquiry to find the reasons that led to the stampede at the Maha Kumbh. Adityanath also announced an ex gratia of Rs 25 lakh each for the kin of the deceased.

The three-member inquiry panel would be headed by retired judge Harsh Kumar and also include former DGP V.K. Gupta and retired IAS officer D.K. Singh.

The chief minister said a separate police inquiry would also be conducted into the whole issue.

"It is important to get to the bottom of the whole episode on how such a tragedy occurred," a visibly emotional Adityanath said, adding that the chief secretary and DGP would visit the Maha Kumbh on Thursday for an in-depth probe into the tragic incident.