Pilgrims at the ongoing Maha Kumbh mela in Allahabad faced a tough time on Wednesday due to the nationwide strike called by central trade unions which has brought movement of Uttar Pradesh roadways buses to a standstill.
A sea of pilgrims converged at Sangam for a holy dip on Friday on the occasion of Basant Panchami joined by ascetics belonging to various sects for their third and last Shahi Snan of Maha Kumbh, where a sadhu was killed in a fire in the wee hours.
The proposed visit of Congress president Sonia Gandhi to the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Allahabad has been cancelled due to "want of cooperation" of the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh in making security arrangements, the party's state unit alleged Sunday.
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Amid demand by some Bharatiya Janata Party leaders for projecting Narendra Modi as the party's prime ministerial candidate, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal on Wednesday said the Gujarat Chief Minister enjoys the same popularity as that of the first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru.
Amid demand by some Bharatiya Janata Party leaders for projecting Narendra Modi as the party's prime ministerial candidate, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal on Wednesday said the Gujarat Chief Minister enjoys the same popularity as that of the first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru.
The Maha Kumbh, considered to be the largest religious gathering on earth, will begin at the Sangam in Allahabad from January 14. Photographer Rajesh Karkera and Archana Masih capture the scenes from the ghat in the run-up to the religious festival that is the pinnacle of many spiritual dreams.
With 100 million pilgrims expected to come in from all over the country for this bathing festival on Friday, the Uttar Pradesh government faces an uphill task to get the things moving smoothly after the tragedy during 'Mauni Amavasya' holy dip.
The Bharatiya Janta Party on Thursday demanded that a sitting high court judge should probe the stampede at Allahabad railway station which killed 37 people on Sunday night.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has directed two ministers in his cabinet as well senior officials in his administration to visit Allahabad in the wake of a stampede at the city's police station. The tragic stampede has claimed the lives of 36 pilgrims who were on their way back after attending the Maha Kumbh Mela at Allahabad on Sunday night.
"People were walking on the footbridge when suddenly police charged with batons. Because of that baton charge, the public panicked and the stampede happened. In that stampede these people were killed," eyewitness Amit Kumar said.
A large number of devotees are taking a holy dip at the Sangam, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers in Allahabad on the auspicious occasion of ''Mauni Amavasya'' on Sunday.
Dr S Q R Ilyas, head of the BMAC and a senior member of the board, feels that the Sangh Parivar should not have raked up the Ram temple issue. In a candid chat with rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa, Dr Ilyas said the recent proclamation by the RSS, VHP and BJP was a desperate measure to rake up the issue of Hindutva once again
Bansal said: "Till now death toll has reached 36. There has been no collapse of foot-over-bridge or any railing on the station. I want to clear that stampede occurred due to people reaching in large numbers. We had made arrangements before start of the Kumbh. We have come to know that people turned in large numbers resulting in stampede."
Two persons were killed in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Allahabad on Sunday as three crore pilgrims converged for a holy dip at Sangam on the auspicious occasion of 'Mauni Amavasya'.
Asserting the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute could be resolved only by Parliament and not by a court of law, the Vishwa Hindu Parishand today said it would initiate efforts at the Maha Kumbh in Allahabad to ensure that those sensitive towards the sentiments of Hindus were elected to it in a large number.
Before the possible arrival of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to New Delhi ahead of the 2014 general election, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh have decided to rake up the Ayodhya Ram Mandir issue again.
Rediff.com takes a look at some stunning pictures of the previous Kumbh Mela festivities.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked his cabinet colleagues not to visit Haridwar during the Maha Kumbh mela. This prime minister's request was based on a plea from Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhrial that VVIP visits during the mela should be avoided as the district administration found it difficult to make protocol arrangements on those days.
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Most of the devotees have already left and the akhadas have been winding up their camps one after another.
Warning that global warming and terrorism have become the world's biggest concerns, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said shedding the "holier-than-thou" attitude is the key to overcoming these issues and resolving conflicts.
The lack of proper coordination and disaster management plan on the part of railways resulted in the stampede at Allahabad station during last year's Maha Kumbh Mela in which 37 persons were killed, the Comptroller and Auditor General has said.
What is particularly worrying is that the vast majority will not have access to testing or even to proper treatment. These cases could have been avoided if the government had shown the political will to do so, observes Rashme Sehgal.
The task for RS Rawat to enter the assembly might not be easy, especially with the ongoing situation arising out of Covid-19, lack of vaccines and allegations of poor hospital facilities, reports Shishir Prashant.
'We have learnt lessons from Mamata Banerjee who overcame the BJP's canard by reciting Chandi Path and playing up her Brahmin origins in her campaign. We need to adopt strategies like asking Muslims to lie low and distributing tickets prudently so that we are not accused of favouring one community.' Radhika Ramaseshan reports.
Irked by Narendra Modi's remark that why Ganga could not be cleaned like his government had done with Sabarmati, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday hit back, saying they don't need lessons from other states.
The project worth about Rs 5,000 crore is underway with assistance from the World Bank.
An exhibition in Bengaluru showcases some of the best photographs by legendary photojournalists, such as James Nachtwey, Sebastiao Salgado and Steve McCurry
'No other country other than India can do it on this scale.'
Stating that English, Chinese and Hindi will rule the digital world in the coming days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday noted that the language market was huge and companies can cash in on it by developing apps at the earliest.
Photographer S Paul, who died this month, was furiously protective about his independence and intensely sure about his work. So much so that he once walked away from a shoot with a prime minister.
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