By Sanjay Parate
Although this is not an epidemic, people are dying one after another—can this be considered any less than a disaster? Never before in the history of the Kumbh Mela have so many accidents, stampedes, and incidents of arson occurred, leading to such an unprecedented loss of lives. Yesterday, yet another tragedy unfolded with the stampede at Delhi Railway Station, resulting in multiple casualties. The government’s official toll remains stalled at 18. Initially, they denied the stampede entirely; now, they are searching for a conspiracy behind it. Never before have the people of this country witnessed such blatant attempts to cover up administrative failures.
This Kumbh has turned into a series of disasters, with at least a dozen incidents of stampedes and arson. The actual death toll remains unknown.
Kumbh Melas have been organized before and counted among the largest religious gatherings in the world. Millions have participated, including thousands from abroad, demonstrating their faith peacefully. While unfortunate incidents have occurred in the past, no Kumbh has ever been labeled a “Kumbh of accidents.”
For the last decade, every festival and religious celebration has been manipulated by the Sanghi establishment to fuel Hindu nationalist fervor—a continuous political experiment designed to cement their grip on power. The Maha Kumbh of Prayagraj has now been transformed into a political spectacle rather than a religious gathering.
One lesson from this Maha Kumbh is clear: religious fanaticism does not only incite hatred against others—it ultimately endangers the lives of its own followers. Under the political shadow of Modi and Yogi, the rising death toll at this Kumbh is not just a series of tragic accidents; it increasingly appears to be the result of deliberate negligence, if not a well-planned conspiracy. If the Prayagraj Kumbh, being held after 144 years, has become the “Kumbh of accidents,” then the officials and politicians responsible for its mismanagement must be held accountable. Pilgrims, brought in under coercive and exploitative conditions, are being treated like cattle rather than human beings. This sacred pilgrimage has been insensitively transformed into a guarantee of both salvation and death. What could be a more grotesque way to sustain political power? If this is the vision of a Hindu Rashtra, if this is what “Vikasit Bharat 2047” looks like, then this Sanghi project must be rejected outright.
The Kumbh Mela was once a confluence of cultures, a symbol of India’s diversity. It was never merely a Hindu festival. In the past, members of the Muslim community would take ritual dips in the Ganga, just as many Hindus continue to visit Sufi shrines and offer prayers. Even today, the doors of dargahs, mosques, and tombs remain open to all, while temples increasingly close their doors to non-Hindus—and even to lower-caste Hindus. This deliberate attack on India’s cultural diversity and communal harmony is undermining the strength and prosperity of the entire subcontinent. Hinduism, a religion that embraces multiplicity and plurality, is now under threat from the inhuman and regressive politics of Hindutva.
The Prayagraj Kumbh has fallen victim to this politics of hatred. First, Muslims were officially excluded, followed by non-Sanatani Hindus. Giant posters of Modi and Yogi overshadowed the spiritual essence of the Kumbh, turning it into a political event. It was then hijacked by the Sanghi establishment with the release of a so-called “Hindu Rashtra Constitution,” a direct assault on the secular foundations of the Indian Constitution.
The government has exaggerated the number of pilgrims, claiming that nearly 35 crore people have taken a holy dip—essentially suggesting that every fourth person in India has participated. A simple survey of a few villages and urban wards would be enough to debunk this claim. However, there is no denying that the crowd this year has been unprecedented. Unlike previous Kumbhs, where pilgrims arrived out of personal devotion, managing their own resources, this time, the influx has been artificially engineered by the state and the Sangh. It was declared that any true Hindu must participate, and those who abstain are traitors. Kumbh was forcefully tied to Hindutva and nationalism, compelling people to prove their religious and patriotic loyalty by attending.
But for these poor and unsuspecting Hindus, no proper arrangements were made—neither for transportation, food, nor accommodation. When the President, Prime Minister, and the entire administrative machinery were indulging in VIP privileges at the Kumbh, who was left to ensure the safety of ordinary pilgrims? The result has been catastrophic: for weeks, people have been crammed into overcrowded buses and trains, forced to walk miles on foot, left hungry and thirsty, and ultimately perishing in uncounted stampedes. The so-called saints and religious leaders, who claim to champion Hindu Rashtra, show no compassion for the grieving families. Instead, they are urging them to “celebrate” these deaths as spiritual liberation. In this way, the foundation of Hindu Rashtra is being built on the corpses of devout Hindus at the Prayagraj Kumbh.
This Hindu Rashtra offers nothing to its people except five kilograms of ration to keep them alive. It provides neither employment nor dignity, nor civil rights. The Prayagraj Kumbh has legitimized the dangerous trend of stampedes occurring at mass religious gatherings—events where, in recent years, thousands have died without any accountability. In every such incident, the authorities have absolved themselves by calling it “God’s will.” No action has ever been taken against any spiritual leader or event organizer responsible for the deaths. Ironically, the more fatalities occur at a preacher’s gathering, the more his divine authority is glorified.
This is the reality of their vision for “Vikasit Bharat 2047.” However, one major obstacle remains in their path—Allahabad. Despite the official exclusion of Muslims from the Maha Kumbh, Allahabad stood up for its Hindu brothers and sisters, opening its homes and religious places to those in need. The Sanghi establishment failed to destroy the Ganga-Jamuni culture of this historic city. Allahabad is not just a place—it is the soul of India. It exists in every village, town, and city across the country. As long as Allahabad’s spirit endures, secular India and its pluralistic culture will remain alive, no matter how many deaths the Sangh orchestrates.
But for this culture to survive, it is imperative to awaken wisdom, rationality, human sensitivity, and harmony among the masses. The inhuman and divisive politics of Hindutva must be exposed. The foundational values upon which this nation was built must be revived and reinforced. This is the first condition for India’s survival as a secular, democratic state.
The author is the Vice President of Chhattisgarh Kisan Sabha, affiliated to All India Kisan Sabha