'Paid ₹40,000 to Carry Brother's Body': Kin Recall Horrors After Kumbh Stampede

Families of those who died in Kumbh stampede narrate ordeals, claim inadequate assistance from authorities.

(Photo: The Quint)

"We had to change three ambulances to get my brother's body back home. We eventually ended up spending Rs 40,000 of our own. Neither Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh governments helped," said a distraught Anil Sarathe, speaking to The Quint over the phone from Narmadapuram, still processing the sudden death of his younger brother Umesh.

The Sarathe family had arrived in Prayagraj earlier last week, and were among the lakhs of devotees who wished to take a dip in the holy Ganga in the wee hours of 29 January, when a stampede at about 1:30 am claimed Umesh's life. He was among the 30 people who lost their lives in the mishap.

But following the devastating tragedy, the struggles to get mortal remains of the victims back from Prayagraj to their home states was another battle for many.

Umesh Sarathe lost his lifein the stampede in Kumbh on 29 January.

(Photo: The Quint)

Pappu Sarathe, another relative of Umesh, said that he was caught in the stampeded that occured at about 1.30 am. "We tried to stick together and shield each other but the crowd swelled," he said.

Even though the Uttar Pradesh government has claimed that all possible help was provided to the families of the victims and that crowds are being managed effectively at the congregation, testimonies of mismanagement on the ground, struggles of the familes of those killed in the stampede, and questions being raised over the exact death toll over the tragedy paint a different picture.

Begged for Ambulances, Hunted for Bodies...

Gayatri Devi from Bihar's Gaya went through similar struggles. She not only lost her husband in the tragedy, but also all the belongings and the money that they possessed.

In videos that have gone viral on social media, she can be heard natrrating her ordeal as she weeps.

"Will you take my life too? You should be helping us. I have lost my family. We had to look for an ambulance myself. My husband is dead but they still want money. There is a limit to feeding off of someone's helplessness. Someone is asking for Rs 600, someone is asking for Rs 1,000. Should I sell myself for money now? I am getting money transferred from Bihar," she said.

Rita Devi (38) and her mother-in-law Rampatti Devi (70), were among the 22 people from the family who went for the holy dip but lost their lives in the stampede.

Rampatti's husband Dharamraj Rajbhar told The Quint that Rita has left behind three daughters aged 18, 16 and 8.

"It took us 24 hours to find their bodies at the hospital," he said.

"A whole crowd, mob of people came and stamped on the two of them and rushed. Nobody from the authority helped, people were shouting, "bachao, bachao. An uncle of our family also fell, but there was a four wheeler over him because of which he was able to breathe at least," he said.

Both Rita Devi and Rampatti Devi were cremated on Friday.

Meanwhile, families of some victims alleged that they have not been issued proper death certificates yet.

Mahendra Mishra from UP's Azamgarh claimed that following the death of his wife Ravikala in the stampede, the authorities only gave him a note regarding the handover of a her body. The note, written in Hindi, says that Ravikala lost her life during the stampede and that her body is being handed over to her husband.

Hand-written note given to Mahendra Mishra while he was handed over his wife's mortal remains.

(Photo accessed by The Quint)

Families of two victims from West Bengal — Basanti Poddar from Kolkata, and Urmila Bhuniya from Paschim Medinipur district — had made similar claims earlier, The Indian Express reported.

A Family from Bhopal Paid Rs 25,000 for an Ambulance

Among the deceased was 52-year-old farmer Brijmohan Sharma from Semra Kalan village in Bhopal district’s Berasia tehsil. The Quint spoke to Omprakash Sharma, the bereaved brother of the deceased over call.

“He left for the Mahakumbh from his village on Monday. He was accompanied by his wife and four other relatives. The group of six had hired a vehicle for the trip,” Omprakash Sharma told The Quint.

52-year-old farmer Brijmohan Sharma from Semra Kalan village in Bhopal lost his life in the Maha Kumbh stampede.

(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)

“He was very enthused about taking the holy dip at Mahakumbh. When he had finalised the trip, he informed me about it. I had warned him about the massive rush in Prayagraj, but he was looking forward to his visit. He said that he will organise a bhandara in the village upon his return. It is a ritual performed by villagers who brings the holy Ganga water to their home. But who would have imagined that we would have to do the bhandara ritual for his tragic death.”

Omprakash Sharma, brother of the deceased Brijmohan Sharma

He then explained what happened to his elder brother in the stampede.

“Their group reached the site of the Mahakumbh at around 11 pm on Tuesday. He had shared photos after arriving there. The auspicious time for the holy dip of Mauni Amavasya had started from 12 am, so their group headed towards the ghat, right after reaching there. At around 2-2:30 am, before they could take the holy dip, a large commotion of “bhaago-bhaago” hit them. Sharma suffered a sudden blow on his head and fell unconscious. His relatives took him to the side. When he reached hospital, doctors had declared him dead,” said Omprakash Sharma.

“They arranged a private ambulance for Rs 25,000 and brought his body home. We are shocked by the tragedy but somewhat satisfied that we managed to bring his body home and perform the last rites,” he added. 

Remembering his elder brother, he said, “Even though he was a very modest batai farmer, he was always there to help anyone in need in his village and even those in the surrounding villages. The whole village is in mourning since the news came.”

Many Still Looking for the Missing

The family of Jaimani Mohanta (65) is still looking for her since 1.30 am on 29 January.

Her nephew Shivashi Mohanta said that eight members of the family were travelling together.

"We got to know today that some people took my aunt to Sarai Inayat police station near Prayagraj. We are from Keonjhar district in Odisha, we were eight members, five of them have been sent to Banaras now. Our plan was to go on 30 January, but we're still looking for her," he said.

"She is a housewife and is not educated either. She is not well-versed in Hindi too, she only speaks in Odia. We informed at the lost and found centre, they didn't take us seriously at first. They told us to go get announcement done. I requested that I want to announce in Odia because she won't understand Hindi but we weren't allowed to do so," he said.

When the family spoke to the police, they were asked to check the local hospital to which they walked 10 kms.

"Autos are not allowed inside, no bikes available either. Families are walking long stretches but if anyone is injured, even an ambulance would not be able to reach on time," Shivashish said.

"Nobody was helping in the hospital, at the end, I went to the mortuary. I saw many dead bodies. The moment I started seeing the bodies, I was stopped by the authorities and they asked me to make it quick and leave. When I took some time, they told me they can't show me more bodies," he said.

'Walked for 60 kms': Struggles of the Stranded

Meanwhile, many who attended the congregation narrated their struggles and flagged mismanagement on the ground.

Balkiran Singh (70) and his wife Ganga Devi (60), who travelled to Prayagraj in a Maha Kumbh Special bus, lost all their belongings following the stampede. While they wanted to return to Satna immediately after Mauni Amavasya, the reported road closures made it a tedious task.

Balkiran Singh (70) and his wife Ganga Devi (60) waled for 60 kms to get a bus back home.

(Photo: Video screengrab)

"We walked about 60 kms at this age. We held hands and walked to Phoolpur for about 50-60 kms and then took the state transport bus to Chakghat. The border was closed, so we were staranded at a dhaba for 36 hours. We are human beings, not animals," he said.

The state government, meanwhile, has roped in senior IAS officers Ashish Goyal and Bhanu Goswami, who have experience of managing Kumbh in the past. The state has also reportedly roped in five secretary-level officers experienced in management of large congregations.

A three-member judicial commission, headed by retired Allahabad high court judge Harsh Kumar and comprising former director general of police (DGP) VK Gupta and retired IAS officer DK Singh, began its investigation in the stampede on Friday.