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PTI, Jan 30, 2025, 12:36 PM IST
A PIL was filed on Thursday in the Supreme Court seeking implementation of specific guidelines and regulations to ensure safety of devotees attending the Maha Kumbh where at least 30 people were killed and 60 injured in a pre-dawn stampede at Sangam area in Prayagraj.
The stampede took place on Wednesday on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu calendar.
The petition, filed a day later under Article 32 of the Constitution by lawyer Vishal Tiwari, seeks to prevent stampede incidents and protect the fundamental rights of equality and life under Article 21.
The plea, which made the Centre and all the states as parties, has sought a direction to the Centre and the state governments to work collectively in ensuring a safe and secure environment for devotees at the Maha Kumbh.
“A petition … filed under Article 32 of the Constitution of India praying for a writ of mandamus or any other appropriate writs seeking issuance of specific directions, policies and regulations initiate guidelines and directions to state governments to facilitate the people for Maha Kumbh avoid stampede incidents and to determine and initiate assessment to ensure safety, viability etc. for the enforcement of fundamental right of equality and life under Article 21 of the Constitution and to call a status report,” the plea said.
It said all states should establish facilitation centres at Prayagraj to provide safety information and assist their respective residents in emergencies.
It also sought installation of signage and announcements in multiple languages to help pilgrims navigate the event with ease.
“All states shall establish in proper manner their facilitation centres at Prayagraj the Maha Kumbh. These centres shall provide and display the basic information regarding the safety measures and guidelines to the persons coming from their states. In emergency these centres shall be ready for any assistance,” it said.
The plea said that SMSes and WhatsApp messages be used to disseminate safety protocols to attendees.
There is the need for coordination between the Uttar Pradesh government and other states to ensure the availability of doctors and nurses at the venue, it said.
The plea also sought regulation of VIP movement and said public safety should be given priority over VIP protocols to prevent congestion and ensure smooth crowd movement.
“The VIP movement shall not effect or create danger to the common devotees safety and maximum space for entry and exit of devotees at Maha Kumbh shall be provided,” it said.
The PIL also highlights the recent stampede incident that occurred on January 29 at the Maha Kumbh, resulting in the tragic loss of approximately 30 lives and leaving several others injured.
The petitioner has urged the top court to direct the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a status report on the incident and initiate legal action against those responsible for negligence.
The plea cited several past incidents of stampedes at religious gatherings, emphasising the need for proactive safety measures, and said in 1954, over 800 deaths took place due to overcrowding on a narrow bridge at the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj.
Around 200 people were killed in a stampede triggered by restricted access at Kumbh at Haridwar in 1986, it said, adding 39 deaths and over 140 injuries took place in 2003 at Nashik.
In 2013, 42 died at the Allahabad railway station following a footbridge collapse.
The Kumbh Mela is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, taking place in rotation among four major locations: Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Haridwar (Uttarakhand), Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), and Nashik (Maharashtra).
Given the massive influx of pilgrims from all states, the petition stresses the need for collective responsibility in ensuring proper crowd management, medical facilities, transportation, and security.
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