Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav Wednesday demanded that the management of the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj be handed over to the Indian Army, following a tragic late-night stampede-like incident.
“In order to re-instill faith in the system among the saint community and devotees who have come to the Maha Kumbh, it is necessary that the administration and management of the Maha Kumbh should be immediately handed over to the Army instead of the UP government and administration,” Yadav said.
The former UP CM also took a dig at the BJP-led government, stating that the claims of providing a “world-class system” for the Maha Kumbh had been exposed.
“Now that the truth behind the claims of ‘world-class system’ has been exposed, those who were making these claims and spreading false propaganda should take moral responsibility for the people killed in this accident and resign from their posts,” he added.
Yadav expressed deep sorrow over the incident and called for urgent government intervention to assist the injured and manage the crisis.
“The news of casualties of devotees in an accident caused by mismanagement in Maha Kumbh is extremely sad. Tributes!”
He also outlined a set of urgent measures for the government to implement, including the immediate transfer of critically injured individuals to the nearest hospitals using air ambulances, enhancing surveillance through helicopters, and expediting the identification of the deceased to ensure their bodies are promptly handed over to their families and transported to their hometowns.
Appealing for calm among devotees, Yadav urged them to maintain patience and complete their pilgrimage peacefully. He also advised the government to take this tragedy as a lesson and improve arrangements for pilgrims.
“We also appeal to the devotees to exercise restraint and patience in this difficult time and complete their pilgrimage peacefully. The government should learn a lesson from today’s incident and make additional arrangements for the stay, accommodation, food, water and other facilities of the devotees,” he said.