A video of Neha Ojha who was running a Haldiram’s outlet in the Mahakumbh mela has gone viral
When devotees arrived to take a pre-dawn holy plunge at the Sangam nose in the early hours of Wednesday, the rush for the third Amrit Snan of the Mahakumbh on Mauni Amavasya caused a stampede that left at least 30 persons dead and about 60 injured.
Who is Neha Ojha, Haldiram’s kiosk employee who claimed second stampede in Jhusi at Mahakumbh Mela, Prayagraj 2025 in viral video
“Before Brahma Mahurat, between 1am and 2am, a huge crowd gathered on the Akhada Marg. Due to this, the barricades on the other side broke and the crowd ran over devotees waiting to take a holy dip on the other side. About 90 people were taken to the hospital through ambulances but unfortunately, 30 devotees died…” informed DIG (Mahakumbh Nagar) Vaibhav Krishna.
Due to the fact that Wednesday was Mauni Amavasya, an auspicious day for the second Shahi Snan, a record number of devotees arrived to the Maha Kumbh site at Prayagraj, causing the stampedes. By late Tuesday, almost 55 million people had swum at the Sangam.
Only a few hours after the first disaster near Sangam Nose on Wednesday, and two kilometers away, there was another stampede at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj. The second mass crush occurred at Jhusi, whilst the first stampede occurred close to the Sangam Nose.
@Abhinav_Pan की झूंसी की रिपोर्ट में हल्दीराम का outlet संभालने वाली MFAस्टूडेंट #Neha_ojha के हौसले को हजारों सलाम | इस मास्टर्स की लड़की ने रातभर लोगो को पानी दिया,जगह दी,सांसे दी, जिसका 1.80 लाख रु लुट गया शासन को इसे पुरस्कृत करना चाहिए pic.twitter.com/T1FZfbAjqE
— मनीष मिश्रा (@mrityun49661399) January 30, 2025
Media was informed by official sources on Thursday that the 30 fatalities comprised those from both locations. With crores of devotees remaining at the Kumbh Mela venue and eager to dive, the sources claimed that the second stampede was not discussed in order to stop fear from developing at the Maha Kumbh. They stated that their top focus was the security of those on the ground.
Tractors are seen removing bottles, clothing, and shoes from the area in videos. They also interviewed witnesses who described how they witnessed bodies being recovered from the scene and individuals being crushed.
Just two kilometers from the location of the initial stampede, which took place close to the Sangam Nose, is the location in Jhusi, which is across the Ganga. The alleged second stampede at Jhusi happened around 5.55 am, whereas the first one happened around 1.30 am.
2km from Sangam Nose there was another stampede, hours after the first
byu/Ambitious-Upstairs90 inuttarpradesh
“There were bodies lying here, and no one was asking about them. People who had suffocated to death in the morning were taken away by 1:30 pm. A female police constable arrived after 4 hours of the stampede. The police were stopping people from shooting videos,” Neha Ojha of Jhusi’s Haldiram kiosk told.
However Neha who completed her education from BHU and is of Kolkata with her paid Rs.300-400 per day to oversee sale at the Haldiram’s as per the new people brought incharge and has now apparently been sent back to her home state with new people being brought in to take care of the Haldiram kiosk in the Kumbh Mela after Neha’s interview went viral. Neha had also alleged that people visiting the Kumbh Mela had looted Rs.1.8 lakhs from the kiosk during the stampede along with sharing lost Aadhar cards, claiming there was no police for a long time to bring the brouhaha into control in an interview given to Lallantop.
“Rs 1.8 lakh was looted from our cash counter. Elderly people’s bodies were being retrieved from the debris of clothes and shoes. Two people died right in front of the tent,” Neha revealed.
“There were four dead bodies inside the kiosk, which were later taken away. I claim that at least 24 people died at this place alone. Children were being trampled, but no one was there to help them. A lot is being hidden from the public. People have the right to know the truth,” another Haldiram’s employee said.
Mela DIG Vaibhav Krishna meanwhile denied the second stampede saying, “We do not have any information about the second stampede. However, we will gather inputs about any such event, if it has happened at all. We will get the sequence of events investigated and take corrective measures to avert any such incident in the future.”
सरकार उन लोगों की मदद के लिए आगे आए, जिन्होंने लोगों की मदद की लेकिन पैसे और सामान के बिना, भूखे-प्यासे त्रस्त लोगों ने मजबूर होकर उनकी दुकान की खाद्यसामग्री का उपभोग कर लिया। ऐसे दुकानदारों की क्षतिपूर्ति करने का दायित्व सरकार का है क्योंकि इस दुर्व्यवस्थाजन्य दुर्घटना के लिए वो… pic.twitter.com/FJ3fpjmbH5
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) January 30, 2025