The bathing ritual assumed special significance as it came days after a stampede during the previous 'Amrit Snan' on Mauni Amavasya (January 29) killed at least 30 people and left 60 others injured.

It’s an unfortunate incident, something which is of concern,’ the Supreme Court said while directing the petitioner to approach the Allahabad High Court.

Many were feared dead after millions of Hindu pilgrims at a huge Hindu festival in India rushed to bathe in holy river waters.

More than 100 people were killed in a stampede in northern India in July 2024 following a Hindu religious gathering, making it one of the deadliest such accidents in years. Thousands had gathered at a makeshift tent for an event led by a Hindu preacher in Uttar Pradesh state.

The six-week Maha Kumbh Mela is being held in BJP-run Uttar Pradesh state, and opposition parties have accused the state government of mismanaging what is billed as the world’s largest gathering of humanity. An estimated 400 million visitors are expected in the city of Prayagraj for the festival, which began on Jan 13.

Moments before a deadly stampede at the world's biggest religious gathering in India, Hindu devotees queuing to take a spiritual bath in a river said they pleaded with police to open barricaded routes to thin out a surging crowd.

Millions of Hindu devotees gathered on Thursday (January 30) for a holy dip in the sacred river waters of India's northern city of Prayagraj as part of the Kumbh Mela, a day after a stampede at the religious festival.

People were trampled as pilgrims at the Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world’s biggest gatherings, gathered where the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers meet.