‘As panic struck, people scattered, cries for help replaced holy chants’

At 1am, we joined the flow of humanity. We were 30m from the photographers’ stage when the crowd suddenly stopped,” write TOI photographers Basabdatta Sarkar & Krishna Roy. “There was a pushback, followed by screams… Holy chants turned to cries for help.”
Since we arrived Sunday in Prayagraj, all we heard were chants of “Har Har Gange” and “Har Har Mahadev” as millions of devotees made their way to Triveni Sangam. All drawn by the faith that bathing in the holy waters can lead to salvation.
Wednesday, we knew, was the big day – Mauni Amavasya – the most auspicious of the six dates for the Amrit Snan. Crores of faithful were expected. Though there were six ghats, it was Sangam that drew everyone. There was a short window till 4am for devotees before only sadhus were allowed access to the river.
By 1am, we joined the flow of humanity – not to bathe, but to reach a photographers’ platform, hoping to capture the scale of this grand spiritual gathering. We were just 30m from the stage when the crowd suddenly stopped. A sharp pushback came, followed by piercing screams. First women, then children and men. “Something must have happened. Is it a stampede?” was our first thought.
As panic took over, people rushed in all directions. We sprinted to the platform and somehow climbed up. From there, we saw a sea of heads bobbing up and down, with some suddenly getting sucked in and disappearing. The holy chants had been replaced by desperate cries for help.
Soon, police whistles, ambulance sirens, and the sight of RAF personnel and mounted police filled the air. It felt like an eternity before the ambulances finally left, carrying the dead and injured. The aftermath was haunting – an eerie silence, broken only by the occasional cries of children, heaps of discarded clothes, footwear, and bags covered the ground, more than we had ever seen in our lives. We only hoped no one was trapped beneath them.
We gathered our thoughts and cameras. We had come to capture vignettes of a vibrant spiritual celebration. We are leaving with frames of a heartbreaking tragedy.