FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLI No. 233 | INDORE | THURSDAY | JANUARY 30, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: Sports UJJAIN PUNE WORLD Rain fail to dampen Aussie storm in Galle P.13 INDORE ‘Putin afraid of talks, wants to prolong war’ : Zelenskyy BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Chinese bull in the Silicon Valley P.6 Cinema Kaun Hai Don? P.14 FAITH LIVES | Chaos unfolded when thousands, eager to reach the Sangam before the Brahma Muhurta, overwhelm the barriers AASTHA BANI ASTHI AS 39 CRUSHED IN RUSH Biswajeet Banerjee SANGAM DOES NOT WAIT PRAYAGRAJ Prayagraj awakened to wailing cacophony on Wednesday as a tragic stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela claimed 40 lives and left 60 others injured, according to Reuters. The death toll is expected to rise as night sets in. The catastrophe unfolded in the early hours between 1 and 2 a.m. at the Triveni Sangam, where millions had converged for the Mauni Amavasya holy dip—one of the most auspicious days of the festival. As the crowds on the pontoon bridge surged forward in a desperate attempt to reach the sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati, barricades buckled under pressure, turning devotion into disaster. The chaos unfolded when thousands, eager to reach the Sangam before the Brahma Muhurta (the auspicious hour between 5:25 and 8:18 a.m.), overwhelmed the barriers. In the dim sodium light, visibil- n There were too many people, too few exits n Many people who were sleeping or sitting on the ground were run over n I was unable to breathe or move ity was blurred. Devotees eager to bathe at the limited Sangam Nose, a space reserved for Akharas, pushed through the barricaded procession corridor. As the crowd broke through, chaos ensued, triggering the deadly stampede. In moments, the oncespiritual Mela grounds turned into a scene of panic—screams, tears, and desperate cries for help filled the air. At the Triveni Sangam, where the Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati converge, frantic pilgrims searched for Two from MP die CM announces Rs 2 L ex-gratia BHOPAL: A man from Gwalior and a woman from Chhatarpur died during the stampede that occurred in Mahakumbh area in Prayagraj on Wednesday morning. The woman’s daughter was injured.
