On 10 February 2013, during the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

festival of Kumbh Mela, a

stampede A stampede () is a situation in which a group of large animals suddenly start running in the same direction, especially because they are excited or frightened. Non-human species associated with stampede behavior include zebras, cattle, elephants ...

broke out at the train station in Allahabad,

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, India, killing 42 people and injuring at least 45 people.

Background

Kumbh Mela is a major

religious festival that is celebrated every three years in four rotating places. The 2013 event was considered a Maha Kumbh Mela, which comes around only once every 144 years. It lasted 55 days and was expected to be attended by 100 million pilgrims, making it the largest temporary gathering of people in the world at that time. A temporary city covering an area larger than

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

was set up to accommodate the crowds. Sunday, 10 February was considered the most auspicious day, and 30 million people descended to Allahabad to bathe at the confluence of the

Yamuna The Yamuna ( Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of B ...

and the

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

rivers.

The stampede

According to initial reports, the stampede broke out after a railing on a footbridge collapsed at the Allahabad railway station. Eyewitnesses, however, said that the stampede was triggered after the railway police charged at the crowd with wooden sticks in order to control the huge rush at the station. 42 people were killed by the crush of people, including 29 women, 12 men, and an eight-year-old girl who died after waiting almost two hours for help. At least 45 people were injured in addition. In an unrelated event earlier that day, two people were killed in another stampede.

Reaction

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed condolences and offered compensation to the affected people.

chief minister

Akhilesh Yadav Akhilesh is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Akhilesh Das (1961–2017), educationist, professor, Indian politician and philanthropist * Akhilesh K. Gaharwar (born 1982), Indian academic and Professor at Texas A&M University * ...

constituted a committee to probe the stampede. Uttar Pradesh's

Panchayati Raj The Panchayat raj is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is the oldest system of local government in the Indian subcontinent, and historical ment ...

minister, Balram Yadav said that the inquiry would be launched and completed within a month. On 11 February 2013, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, who was in charge of the Kumbh Mela, took responsibility for the stampede and resigned. Praising the minister for his sincere work, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, rejected Khan's resignation.

Other stampedes

Due to the huge number of attendees stampedes are relatively common during Kumbh Mela festivals. The 1954 Kumbh Mela stampede was the deadliest since India's independence, with an estimated 1,000 deaths. The 2003 Kumbh Mela stampede killed 39 people in the city of

Nashik Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nashi ...

, and seven were killed during the 2010 Kumbh Mela in

Haridwar Haridwar (; ) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district. The city is situated on the ri ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2013 Kumbh Mela stampede Human stampedes in India History of Uttar Pradesh (1947–present) Disasters in Uttar Pradesh Kumbh Mela stampede History of Prayagraj Kumbh Mela stampede Kumbh Mela February 2013 events in India