Aarti Jerath's column: Many questions are arising after the accident in Kumbh Mela

No matter how hard the supporters of UP CM Yogi Adityanath try, the negligence and mismanagement of his administration cannot be hidden behind the tragedy in the Kumbh Mela. As new details emerge, the magnitude of the accident continues to grow. It has also been learnt that after the first stampede on the morning of January 29, there was also a second stampede a short distance away within a few hours. Apart from this, there have also been incidents of arson in Kumbh, in which dozens of luxurious tents specially built by the government for devotees were burnt to ashes. The official death toll is said to be 30. But considering the scale of the crowd for the bath on Mauni Amavasya, the number could be much higher. The remains of clothes, shoes, blankets and other personal belongings were strewn everywhere, a living testimony to the fact that the devotees were forced to run for their lives for fear of being crushed by the crowd. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed his condolences to the Ex within a few hours of this tragedy, but the Uttar Pradesh administration kept pretending for a long time that nothing had happened. After this, Modi spoke to the UP CM on the phone four times, Home Minister Amit Shah and President Droupadi Murmu also posted on X, then the UP administration was forced to break its silence and accept the truth. A full 17 hours after the accident, at 7 pm on January 29, he issued a statement claiming responsibility for the stampede and promising to make arrangements to prevent such an incident from happening again. Since then, the UP government has put two senior officials with first-hand experience of managing the crowd on duty, deployed additional forces and made a fresh traffic plan to regulate the movement of vehicles and devotees, but the damage was already done. Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Joshimath, demanded Adityanath's resignation after the mishap and accused him of misleading the country on the issue. While other prominent saints and seers have not said anything publicly, many are believed to be supportive of the sentiments of the Shankaracharya and are upset that the holy day of Mauni Amavasya was stained with the bodies of pilgrims. Shankaracharya said that if he had known about the stampede and the resulting deaths, he would have fasted for the dead and not ritually taken a pilgrimage bath. In his eight-year tenure as UP CM, Yogi has established himself as a strong face of Hindutva. This not only earned him the support of the Sangh — which supported him in every circumstance despite the BJP's crushing defeat in UP in the Lok Sabha elections — but also helped him establish himself as a popular leader across the country. Today, he is the second most popular campaigner for the BJP after Modi. But after the Kumbh tragedy, his image as an able administrator has suffered a setback. This is also because he was visiting Prayagraj almost every other day before and after the Kumbh began, personally supervising the arrangements there and closely monitoring the administrative machinery that he had put in place for the management of the Kumbh. Whether she is working smoothly or not. Special arrangements for VVIPs, unrestricted movement of their vehicles and the need for common devotees to walk more than 20 km to reach the river, high cost of food and water have also sparked anger among many devotees. The uninterrupted organization of the world's largest religious congregation would have strengthened Yogi's credentials as a symbol of Hindutva and an efficient administrator, but after the accident in Prayagraj due to the negligence of the officers, questions are now being asked from the administration led by him. It is no secret that there is infighting in the BJP in UP. After the fair ends on February 26, a lot can be seen in the politics of UP. The smooth conduct of the Kumbh could have strengthened the credibility of the Uttar Pradesh chief minister. But after the accident in Prayagraj, questions are now being asked to the UP administration. It is no secret that there is infighting in the BJP in UP. (This is the author's opinion)