section_path: Stampedes and scandals
section_name: Stampedes and scandals
paragraph_text: Stampedes and scandals
  
  Several stampedes have occurred at the sites related to the Kumbh Melas. After an 1820 stampede at Haridwar killed 485 people, the Company government took extensive infrastructure projects, including the construction of new ghats and road widening, to prevent further stampedes. The various Kumbh melas, in the 19th- and 20th century witnessed sporadic stampedes, each tragedy leading to changes in how the flow of pilgrims to and from the river and ghats was managed. In a major crowd crush, over 500 people died in the 1954 Kumbh Mela stampede, although the real figure varies according to different sources. In 1986, 50 people were killed in a stampede.
  
  The Prayag Kumbh Mela in 1885 became a source of scandal when a Muslim named Husain was appointed as the Kumbh Mela manager, and Indian newspaper reports stated that Husain had "organised a flotilla of festooned boats for the pleasure of European ladies and gentlemen, and entertained them with dancing girls, liquor and beef" as they watched the pilgrims bathing.
  
  The Kumbh Mela held in Haridwar in 2021 was considered a COVID-19 super spreader, contributing to increased cases in Uttarakhand and India, as the growing number of pilgrims visiting the area and numerous health guidelines being violated. As the second wave was increasing infections in India, calls to cancel the festival were rejected by the state and central government that assured the festival clean and safe.
  
  In January 2025, at least 50 people died and 100 others were injured in the stampede at the Maha Kumbh venue in Prayagraj, and Amrit Snan was temporarily suspended. It was announced that a judicial enquiry by a three-member committee would be conducted, led by Justice Harsh Kumar. Media investigations have suggested a higher number of fatalities and a potential coverup.
  
  Several stampedes have occurred at the sites related to the Kumbh Melas. After an 1820 stampede at Haridwar killed 485 people, the Company government took extensive infrastructure projects, including the construction of new ghats and road widening, to prevent further stampedes. The various Kumbh melas, in the 19th- and 20th century witnessed sporadic stampedes, each tragedy leading to changes in how the flow of pilgrims to and from the river and ghats was managed. In a major crowd crush, over 500 people died in the 1954 Kumbh Mela stampede, although the real figure varies according to different sources. In 1986, 50 people were killed in a stampede.
  
  The Prayag Kumbh Mela in 1885 became a source of scandal when a Muslim named Husain was appointed as the Kumbh Mela manager, and Indian newspaper reports stated that Husain had "organised a flotilla of festooned boats for the pleasure of European ladies and gentlemen, and entertained them with dancing girls, liquor and beef" as they watched the pilgrims bathing.
  
  The Kumbh Mela held in Haridwar in 2021 was considered a COVID-19 super spreader, contributing to increased cases in Uttarakhand and India, as the growing number of pilgrims visiting the area and numerous health guidelines being violated. As the second wave was increasing infections in India, calls to cancel the festival were rejected by the state and central government that assured the festival clean and safe.
  
  In January 2025, at least 50 people died and 100 others were injured in the stampede at the Maha Kumbh venue in Prayagraj, and Amrit Snan was temporarily suspended. It was announced that a judicial enquiry by a three-member committee would be conducted, led by Justice Harsh Kumar. Media investigations have suggested a higher number of fatalities and a potential coverup.