The inclusion of those who were reportedly responsible for the stampede that killed 36 people at Allahabad station during the Kumbh Mela, in Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's entourage to Harvard has raised eyebrows. Sharat Pradhan reports
Smriti Irani also tweeted a picture of her holy dip, with the caption "Har Har Gange".
Since the beginning of the Maha Kumbh last month, many influencers, models and actors have had their brief moment in the sun of virality: model-turned-sadhvi Harsha Richaria, garland seller Mona Lisa, 'IIT baba' Abhay Singh and actor Mamata Kulkarni to name a few.
The fire mishap took place on a day when lakhs of devotees have gathered for the 'Shahi Snan' on the occasion of Basant Panchami.
Security was tight at the mela ground as policemen kept a close watch from towers and through CCTVs.
'Suddenly, she arrives in India, participates in the Maha Kumbh and is given the position of Mahamandleshwar.' 'This needs investigation.'
She wanted to take a dip in the Shipra river in Ujjain and had secured an order from a court in Dewas district.
Legendary Indian boxer MC Mary Kom has called for greater recognition for boxing in India, stating her goal is to make the sport as popular as cricket.
Reiterating that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team felicitation event in front of Vidhana Soudha on June 4 was not organised by the state government, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday clarified that he 'called' Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot for the event, which he too was attending.
The Royal Challenger's Bengaluru parade in celebration of the team's maiden Indian Premiere League win in 18 years turned into tragedy as at least 11 fans died and several were injured in a stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.
Sharat Pradhan reports on how the Maha Kumbh at Allahabad is fast turning into a political playground
Pramod Prasad wishes some things could have been different.
The Ganga water at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj, where lakhs of people are taking a holy dip every day during the ongoing Maha Kumbh, is currently unsafe for bathing as it exceeds the prescribed limit for biological oxygen demand (BOD), a key parameter to determine water quality, according to government data.
The 'Amrit Snan' by saints and seers of all 13 akharas on Mauni Amavasya, which was deferred after a stampede at the Maha Kumbh, concluded at the Sangam on Wednesday evening, officials said.
On the eve of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's lecture on the so-called success of the Maha Kumbh Mela to a gathering at Harvard, Avikal Somvanshi visits the Sangam at Allahabad to photograph the disturbing aftermath of the mela. Along with Bharat Lal Seth, he suggests a presentation for the CM.
Among heavy criticism of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's remarks on Prayagraj's Mahakumbh, Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati Maharaj on Wednesday supported the CM, saying that the religious event has been mismanaged.
The president of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, Mahant Ravindra Puri, has demanded the evacuation of mosques built on ancient temples across India. Puri, who is also the president of the Mansa Devi Temple Trust in Haridwar, claims that around 80% of mosques in India are built on temples and that their domes resemble those of temples. He has appealed to Muslims to hand over such structures to Hindus and has called for the formation of a "Sanatan Board" to protect Hindu religious institutions. Puri also denied banning Muslims from attending the Maha Kumbh Mela, saying that they are welcome to visit and learn about Hinduism.
The Maha Kumbh is celebrated in a cycle of 12 years at four river-bank pilgrimage sites across India. The fair will conclude in the last week of April.
'Initially, some staircases of platforms were closed to manage the crowd. However, due to delays, more passengers were attempting to take the staircases. At the last moment, the closed staircases were opened, which caused congestion and the crowd swelled'
Elaborate arrangements including a special traffic plan have been chalked out for Maghi Purnima on Wednesday and health personnel have been put on alert for the occasion when the month-long 'kalpavas', an integral tradition of the Maha Kumbh, comes to an end.
A fire broke out at the Maha Kumbh congregation in Allahabad on Friday, injuring at least 19 people, some of them seriously, and gutting a couple of pandals, officials said.
The Kumbh Mela is expected to draw close to 100 million visitors in all, including pilgrims, politicians, celebrities and corporate leaders, from around the world.
Avdheshanand urged people to not come to the Kumbh mela for bathing in large numbers due to the COVID-19 situation and to follow the rules.
Yogi said Waqf boards have become a den of selfish interests as well as loot khasot (property grabbing), and have done little for the welfare of Muslims.
Consumer companies see Rs 1,500-crore sales opportunity.
Watch Kaalidhar Laapata because clean family-viewing films are getting scarcer by the week, recommends Deepa Gahlot.
Bharatiya Janarta Party candidate Ramesh Bidhuri on Wednesday again targeted Delhi chief minister and his rival from Kalkaji seat Atishi, saying she was running around like a 'hirni' (doe) in the streets of the constituency ahead of assembly polls after doing little for the people for years.
'While suppression of information is acceptable for the government, the Opposition's efforts at pinning the government and its leaders is labeled anti-national,' points out Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
The last auspicious day of the ongoing Kumbh Mela was full of action
'They contest to ensure they win the election.'
The blaze began in the Goredau Ashram set up by Mahant Avadhbihari Das in the Ankpaat area off Mangalnath Road in Ujjain.
The project worth about Rs 5,000 crore is underway with assistance from the World Bank.
A breach in an embankment along the Ganga caused by recent heavy rainfall which threatened to inundate a large area and affect Maha Kumbh pilgrims in Allahabad, has been plugged by a 60-member team of Army's Red Eagle Division who worked through the night averting a disaster.
"All low-lying areas are flooded...many tents in 'Sadhugram' here and at Trimbakeshwar are submerged now," officials said.
Rediff.com takes a look at the grand preparations ahead of the mega festival, just 16 days away, as pilgrims and god-men have already started congregating at the holy site.
Inspired by the earnings of boat operators during the 2019 Ardh Kumbh, a boatman's family in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj took a bold entrepreneurial step during the recently concluded Mahakumbh Mela 2025, generating a staggering profit of Rs 30 crore.
With the surge in tourist footfalls to Varanasi in 2022, it almost rivals the arrivals in Agra and puts it way ahead of Prayagraj and Ayodhya.
A public interest litigation was moved before the Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court Tuesday, seeking a high-level judicial probe into Sunday's stampede at the Kumbh Mela that left 36 dead and 39 injured.
During this day, elated Hindu monks and pilgrims take holy dip in Ganges to wash away their sins and make offerings to the gods.
Over 70 lakh people took dip at the holy 'Sangam' on the last of the 'Shahi Snan' during the on-going Kumbh mela in Allahabad on Friday.
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