Maha Kumbh 2025: two deadly crushes and a disputed death toll

What happened

In the early hours of 29 January 2025 — Mauni Amavasya, the most auspicious bathing day of the Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj — barricades gave way under crowd pressure near the Sangam, and a crush killed dozens of pilgrims among the tens of millions who had gathered. Police initially confirmed 30 deaths; the official toll was later put at 37.

On the night of 15 February 2025, a second disaster followed at New Delhi railway station: as thousands of pilgrims massed to board trains to Prayagraj, confusion over a platform announcement and crowding on a footbridge triggered a crush that killed at least 18 people, including children.

What the record shows

A BBC Hindi investigation published in June 2025, based on reporting across 11 states, documented at least 82 deaths from the Prayagraj crush — more than double the official figure — and reported that families of 26 victims were paid ₹5 lakh in cash on condition of signing documents attributing the deaths to sudden illness, while others received nothing. The Uttar Pradesh government stood by its official count; opposition parties accused it of suppressing the toll. A judicial commission was constituted for the Prayagraj crush and the Railways announced a high-level inquiry into the Delhi station disaster; the findings of neither had been made public months later.

Where it stands

The disputed gap between the official and independently documented tolls — and cash compensation allegedly conditioned on recharacterising deaths — is itself part of the record, alongside the underlying crowd-management failures at an event the state had promoted and administered.