No data on Maha Kumbh stampede maintained by Central Government, says MoS Home Nityanand Rai

Union Minister Nityanand Rai speaks in the Lok Sabha during the Budget session of Parliament. File
| Photo Credit: Sansad TV via PTI Photo

The Uttar Pradesh Government conducted an inquiry into the Maha Kumbh stampede and no data on casualties and injured victims is maintained with the Central Government, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday (March 18, 2025).

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai shared the information while replying to a question by Congress MPs K.C. Venugopal and Kirsan Namdeo on the number of people killed and injured in the stampede and the steps taken by the authorities to investigate the causes.

Mr. Rai said “public order” and “police” were state subjects, according to the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.

“Organisations of religious congregations, crowd management, provision of amenities to devotees, prevention of any type of disaster during congregations, etc. are closely linked to “public order”, which is a state subject,” he added.

“Conducting of any type of inquiry into any type of disasters occurred in a state, including stampedes, and provision of financial assistance to families of deceased devotees and injured persons, also come under the purview of the concerned state governments. State governments are competent to deal with such situations. No such data is maintained centrally,” he said in a written reply.

The Union Minister said the National Disaster Management Authority had circulated detailed guidelines on crowd management at events and venues of mass gatherings. Guidelines on crowd control were also issued by the Bureau of Police Research and Development.

He said the Union home ministry had issued an advisory to all states and Union territories, advising them to use these templates to prepare their own standard operating procedures for crowd management and devise a checklist for the appropriate authorities.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Inspector General of Police Vaibhav Krishna had said the stampede January 29 stampede during the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj left 30 pilgrims dead and 60 injured.