| Date | 3 February 1954 (1954-02-03) |
|---|---|
| Location | Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Cause | failure ofcrowd control measures |
| Deaths | 316–800 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 2000 |
1954 Kumbh Mela crowd collapses was a majorcrowd crush that occurred on 3 February 1954 atKumbha Mela inPrayagraj inUttar Pradesh state inIndia. It was the main bathing day ofMauniAmavasya (New Moon), when the incident took place. 4–5 million pilgrims took part in the festival that year, which was also the first Kumbh Mela after India'sIndependence.[1]
The figures for the tragedy varied according to different sources. Officially, 316 people lost their lives.[2] WhileThe Guardian reported more than 800 people died, and over 100 were injured,[3]TIME reported "no fewer than 350 people were trampled to death and drowned, 200 were counted missing, and over 2,000 were injured".[4] According to the bookLaw and Order in India, over 500 people died.[5]
The 1954Kumbh Mela occasion was used by politicians to connect with the Indian populace as the first Kumbh Mela after Independence in 1947, with more than 5 million pilgrims in attendance for the 40-day festival, at Allahabad, (today known asPrayagraj); many leading politicians visited the city during the event.
In addition to the compounding failures ofcrowd control measures, and the presence of a large number ofpoliticians,[6][5] a major factor contributing to the incident was that the Ganges River had changed course and moved in closer to theBund (embankment) and the city, reducing the available space of the temporary Kumbh township, and restricting movement of the people.[7] Ultimately, what triggered the tragedy was a crowd surge that broke through the barriers, separating them from a procession ofsadhus and holy men of variousakharas, resulting in the fatal crush.[8]
After the event, Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru suggested that politicians and VIPs should refrain from visiting the Mela,[6] and were all exonerated, along with the government, of any wrongdoing after an inquiry.[9] The judicial inquiry commission, set up after what was one of the worst crowd crushes in India's history, was headed by Justice Kamala Kant Verma, and its recommendations became the basis for better management of future events in the coming decades. This tragedy has stood as a grim reminder to Mela planners and district administrators.[7] Over the years, the crowds have progressively increased, so much so that 80–100 million people took part in the 2010 Kumbh Mela, making it thelargest gathering anywhere in the world.[10][11][12] Among the other fatal Kumbh Mela crushes, the most notable have been in the years 1840, 1906, 1954, 1986, 2003 (39 deaths), 2010 (7 deaths),2013 (36 deaths) and2025 (30 deaths).[13][14][15]