4 from Belagavi, including woman and daughter, dead in Maha Kumbh stampede

Mangalore Today News Network

Belagavi, January 30, 2025: At least four people from Karnataka’s Belagavi, including a mother-daughter duo, were feared to be among the casualties of the Mahakumbh stampede in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj.

The victims from Belagavi were identified as BJP worker Jyoti Hattarwad, 50; her daughter Megha Hattarwad, 16; Mahadevi Bhavanur, and Arun Koparde.

The stampede happened as hundreds of thousands of devotees gathered for ‘Amrit Snan’ (holy bath) in the Triveni Sangam, the sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers in Prayagraj, on the occasion of ‘Mauni Amavasya’ early Wednesday. As per the latest update, 30 people died and 60 others were injured in the crowd crush.

The Belagavi district administration has appointed two nodal officers—Special Deputy Commissioner Harsha Shetty and Additional Superintendent of Police Shruti N S—to travel to Prayagraj and make necessary arrangements to bring the bodies of the victims from the district back to Karnataka.

In a statement on Wednesday, Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said, “The state government’s disaster management team is in constant touch with the Uttar Pradesh government. However, the UP authorities have not provided any official information about the number of casualties or injured in the tragedy. The Belagavi Deputy Commissioner has contacted families of those who travelled to the Kumbh Mela, and it has been confirmed that four people are feared dead.”

Victims were part of a 13-member group

According to the victims’ families, Jyoti Hattarwad and her daughter Megha had travelled to Prayagraj on January 26 by bus through a private travel agency. They were part of a 13-member travel group.

While there has not been an official confirmation about their deaths, Jyoti’s husband stated that Chidambar Patil, a fellow pilgrim from their group, informed him that his wife and daughter had lost their lives in the stampede.

Jyoti’s brother Gururaj Huddar added that the mother and daughter had suffered injuries and were receiving treatment at a private hospital in Prayagraj. However, they succumbed to injuries on Wednesday morning, he said. The family tried to reach them but received no response despite their phone continuing to ring.

Belagavi North Congress MLA Asif Sait confirmed receiving information about the deaths and assured full support to the bereaved families. “We are with the families and extend our deepest condolences. I urge the state government to provide monetary compensation to the victims’ families,” he said.

Over 300 people from the Belagavi district were believed to have travelled to Prayagraj for the Mahakumbh Mela.

After the stampede, the Uttar Pradesh government formed a three-member judicial commission to investigate the matter.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the situation was “under control”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, expressed condolences to the bereaved families, In a post on X, he stated that the local administration was “engaged in helping the victims in every possible way”.