India News | Over 2,000 Devotees from Asansol Visit Maha Kumbh

Mahakumbh Nagar (UP), Feb 23 (PTI) Amidst chants of 'Jai Shree Ram', 'Har Har Gange' and 'Bam Bam Bhole', a massive contingent of 2,000 devotees from Asansol, West Bengal, arrived here on Sunday, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement.

The devotees, who arrived here in 40 buses, participated in the sacred ritual alongside revered saints and took the holy dip at the Triveni Sangam, the statement said.

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Swami Dilip Das Tyagi, a prominent saint from Ayodhya and president of Raghuvansh Sankalp Seva, said that this devoted group had travelled from West Bengal to be part of the grand event.

Krishna Prasad, the president of the organizing committee, emphasized the profound significance of this pilgrimage and said that preparations had been underway for months.

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"The Maha Kumbh is the world's largest cultural gathering and we were all eager to witness its magnificence," he said.

During this time, special yagna and havan were also organized. A large number of devotees from West Bengal as well as many other states of the country participated, the statement said.

The visit by the devotees from Asansol assume importance especially in the backdrop of the language used by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee recently to underline safety concern at the mega religious gathering in the wake of a stampede.

Banerjee had on February 18 asserted that the Maha Kumbh had turned into a "Mrityu Kumbh" due to incidents of stampede, claiming that the actual toll was suppressed by authorities.

At least 30 people died and 60 were injured in a stampede in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj last month, while 18 people lost their lives in a recent stampede at an overcrowded New Delhi railway station.

"I will not call it a Maha Kumbh. It has now become a 'Mrityu Kumbh'. It is like a death pit. I respect the Maha Kumbh, I respect Ganga Maa. However, there was no planning for the event," Banerjee said during an address in the West Bengal Assembly.

The 45-day religious congregation, which began on January 13, will conclude on February 26. Over 60 crore people have taken a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam since it started, according to the Uttar Pradesh government.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)