Prayagraj stampede: At least 6 pilgrims from Kolkata, districts missing in Kumbh death zone
Times of India | 31 January 2025
123456 Kolkata/Siliguri/Malda: At least six people from Bengal who went to Prayagraj to take a holy dip at Triveni Sangam on Mauni Amavasya are still missing.
In Kolkata, 52-year-old Subir Naskar from Purba Putiary set out with 27 of his neighbours and religious sect members on Dec 25 evening for Prayagraj. Naskar, a liftman employed at the Ballygunge Army camp, was unmarried and spoke with his three brothers until Sunday. He promised to call after taking the holy dip on Wednesday, but the call never came.
"One Swapan Haldar arranged the trip. He called at 11 pm on Wednesday and said my brother was the only one who was missing. Swapan said my brother wanted to take the holy dip at the Sangam in the morning and set out alone from Sector 17 (Prayagraj) where they were staying. Since that news, we are being sent photographs of the dead and the severely injured by the UP administration and Swapan himself. But we have been unable to trace him," said Swapan's brother, Subhas Naskar.
In Siliguri, two such missing complaints were lodged by police on Thursday. The families informed police that Putul Roy (47), a resident of Samar Nagar, and Darshana Devi Bansal (65), a resident of Punjabi Para, left for Prayagraj with separate groups on Monday and reached on Tuesday night. Roy travelled to Prayagraj with a group of 55 people on Monday. Despite repeated attempts to contact the helpline, her whereabouts remain unknown.
"She hoped to visit the Ram temple in Ayodhya, then head to the Maha Kumbh and other religious sites before returning to Siliguri. But after deciding to take a holy dip at Mahakumbh on Mauni Amavasya, she was separated from the group during the stampede," said Roy's son Jayanta.
Darshana Bansal, who travelled to Mahakumbh with four of her family members, also went missing. Speaking over the phone to TOI from Prayagraj, Sunita Bansal, her daughter-in-law, said: "When the stampede hit, our mother was lost in seconds. I am sure she is injured. I too was nearly caught up in the stampede but managed to get into a vehicle that was rescuing people."
In Malda, family members of Anita Ghosh (65) of English Bazar are also anxious, unable to trace her. "A 14-member team from my family hired two SUVs and left Malda around 7 am on Monday. They made a video call around 3 pm on Tuesday after safely reaching Prayagraj," said Asthami, her daughter-in-law. "The group lost all their belongings, including all the cellphones except one through which we are keeping in touch with them," she added.
Similar reports of two missing women came from Suri and Katwa. Purabi Ghosh, the missing woman, left for Kumbh Mela with some locals last Sunday but has been untraceable since Monday. The missing woman from Katwa has been identified as Bharati Bala Ghosh (72).
(Written with inputs from Dwaipayan Ghosh and Sudipto Das in Kolkata, Roshan Gupta in Siliguri, and Subhro Maitra in Malda)