Modi takes ‘holy dips’ at Maha Kumbh, week after stampede killed dozens

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took holy dips in sacred river waters in the northern city of Prayagraj on Wednesday as he joined millions of people at the Maha Kumbh Mela, a week after dozens died in a stampede at the event.

Authorities said 30 people were killed in the stampede on the six week-long Hindu festival’s most auspicious day on Jan 29, as more than 76 million people converged on the river to take a ‘royal dip’. Sources said the death toll was more than 50.

Devout Hindus believe that taking a dip during the Maha Kumbh at the confluence of three sacred rivers - Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati, which is believed to flow underground -absolves people of sins and brings salvation from the cycle of birth and death.

Live visuals broadcast on state and private news channels showed Modi - dressed in a saffron sweatshirt and black sweat pants with saffron stripes on the side - holding on to a thick yellow rope for support as he took three dips in the knee-deep water.

“I had the supreme fortune of worshipping at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj today,” Modi later posted on X. “Receiving the blessings of Mother Ganga has brought immense peace and contentment to my heart. I prayed for the happiness, prosperity, health, and well-being of all countrymen.”