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.
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'.
The festival's People's Choice Award, voted by the audience, is a strong indication of films that can eventually be nominated and even win Oscars. Twelve of the last 15 People's Choice winners have received Best Picture Oscar nominations.
Delhi Police on Sunday launched an investigation into the stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station, saying it will analyse CCTV footage to determine the sequence of events before the chaos erupted.
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.
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.
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.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday claimed that the Congress had been unwilling to accept Tejashwi Yadav as the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) chief ministerial candidate and relented only after the Rashtriya Janata Dal pointed a 'katta', an unlicensed country-made gun, at its head.
The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday slammed the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, asking whether it disputed the Central Pollution Control Board's finding on high levels of faecal coliform being found in the water at various locations in Prayagraj during the ongoing Mahakumbh.
'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'
With the death toll in the overnight stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station climbing to 18 on Sunday, porters recounted their harrowing experience of carrying bodies on handcarts amid the chaos.
Indian Railways has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed in the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station. Those seriously injured will receive Rs 2.5 lakh, and those with minor injuries will receive Rs 1 lakh. The stampede occurred late Saturday night, resulting in at least 18 fatalities and more than a dozen injuries. The incident was triggered by a surge in passengers waiting to board trains for Prayagraj, where the Maha Kumbh is taking place, on platforms 14 and 15 of the station.
Rediff.com takes a look at some stunning pictures of the previous Kumbh Mela festivities.
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.
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.
'They contest to ensure they win the election.'
Most of the devotees have already left and the akhadas have been winding up their camps one after another.
The death toll in the overnight stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station climbed to 18 on Sunday, with a senior railway official saying the incident occurred after some passengers slipped and fell on others while coming down from a footover bridge.
The deportation of Indians from the United States, deaths in the Maha Kumbh stampede and the joint Parliamentary committee report on the Waqf bill were among the issues that led to heated exchanges and some disruptions in an otherwise smooth first part of the Budget session that ended on Thursday.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said a fair enquiry is being conducted regarding the stampede which took place at New Delhi railway station last month and said the government is implementing a slew of measures to avoid such incidents in the future.
Chief Public Relations Officer of Northern Railway, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay on Sunday said that a passenger coming towards platforms 14-15 slipped and fell on the stairs, and many passengers standing behind him were hit, leading to the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station.
Gross GST collections rose by 9.1 per cent to about Rs 1.84 lakh crore in February, boosted by domestic consumption and indicating potential economic revival. As per the official data released on Saturday, on a gross basis, mop up from Central GST stood at Rs 35,204 crore, State GST at Rs 43,704 crore, Integrated GST at Rs 90,870 crore and compensation cess of Rs 13,868 crore.
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.
Rishi Ajay Das, the founder of Kinnar Akhada, has expelled both Mamta Kulkarni and Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi from the Akhada.
A deadly stampede at New Delhi Railway Station occurred on Saturday evening as passengers confused two trains with similar names, "Prayagraj Express" and "Prayagraj Special," and rushed to change platforms after an announcement. The confusion led to a surge of people on the stairs, resulting in the tragic deaths of 18 people. The Railway Ministry stated that the arrival of the "Prayagraj Special" at platform 12 caused panic among those waiting for the "Prayagraj Express" at platform 14, leading to the stampede. An unprecedented rush of passengers due to the Maha Kumbh and the delay of multiple trains heading to Prayagraj contributed to the chaos. The incident highlighted the dangers of inadequate crowd management during peak travel periods.
Sources at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narain Hospital indicated that a majority of the victims who sustained injuries in Saturday night stampede suffered lower limb injuries while others suffered from bone injuries.
After Uttar Pradesh played host to world's largest religious congregation during Mahakumbh in Allahabad, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Minister Mohammad Azam Khan have been invited by the HarvardUniversity to share the story of organising the 55-day event.
Following the encounter of three Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terrorists in Pilibhit, security agencies are intensifying their search for their local helpers in the Terai region.
For Yogi Adityanath the successful management of the fair is a crucial part of building 'Brand UP' and making the state a $1 trillion economy.
At least 18 people were killed in a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Sunday. The stampede occurred after a wrong announcement about a change of platforms led to confusion and panic. The station was crowded with passengers traveling to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh festival.
Solar eclipse brings Maha Kumbh to a standstill
Every 12 years comes a mystical, mind-boggling phenomenon. It is the Maha Kumbh Mela. Harvard experts map the exotic and the mundane at the spectacle. Arthur J Pais reports
Following a stampede at New Delhi railway station and large crowds arriving for the Maha Kumbh, authorities in Uttar Pradesh have implemented stringent security protocols at key railway stations including Prayagraj, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Kanpur, Lucknow and Mirzapur. Measures include restricted entry, holding areas for passengers, increased security personnel, and improved facilities to prevent overcrowding.
'Suddenly you become part of a very large humanity.' Bathing in the Ganga at the Maha Kumbh Mela left a lasting impression on Harvard investigators, finds Arthur J Pais.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that forcibly seizing someone's faith and trampling over their beliefs is "unacceptable," especially "when we know the truth about Sambhal" which predates Islam, with the Vishnu temple there being destroyed in 1526. He said that Sambhal has been mentioned in scriptures that are 5,000 years old, which contain references to Lord Vishnu's future incarnation. He also mentioned that a temple of Lord Vishnu in Sambhal was demolished in 1526, and two years later, in 1528, the Ram temple in Ayodhya was destroyed, both acts carried out by the same person.
Billed as the largest gathering of humanity in recorded history, Maha Kumbh has commenced in Allahabad. Over the next few weeks, pilgrims will jostle to take a dip at Sangam the confluence of two polluted rivers of the country, the Ganga and the Yamuna. Bharat Lal Seth analyses why the rivers will remain dirty.
Families of those missing in the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station are frantically searching for their loved ones, running from one hospital to another, carrying their photos. Many said the hospitals did not allow them to search for their missing family members among the patients admitted there, turning their hopes into despair. The stampede on Saturday evening killed 18 people, according to officials. The injured were admitted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narain Hospital (LNJP) and the Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital in Central Delhi.
A stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night claimed 18 lives, including 11 women and 5 children. Thousands of passengers, mostly Maha Kumbh pilgrims, crowded the station to board trains to Prayagraj, leading to a surge of people that became impossible to manage. The chaos unfolded when a last-minute platform change announcement caused confusion and panic, resulting in a crush of people at an escalator. As dawn broke, railway staff began the grim task of cleaning up, while grieving families gathered at the hospital to identify their loved ones.
