For Sukla Debnath and Rakesh Kumar Roy, the Kumbh Mela’s Mauni Amavasya wasn’t a spiritual cleansing, but a brush with death.

Sukla, from Alipurduar, had journeyed for days, her heart filled with devotion. “It took so many hours because of the excessive crowd,” she recalled, her voice trembling. “There were diversions after diversions.”

Debnath reached the Sangam on January 28, only to confront a sea of an estimated five crore people, all yearning for a holy dip. But as Mauni Amavasya dawned, devotion turned to chaos. “There was no space to stand,” she told The Indian Express over phone. “And due to suffocation, people wanted to leave. Those who were sleeping or seated close to the river for a holy dip — all became victims.”

The push and shove turned into a stampede, she said. “People stepped on bodies to reach the Sangam,” Debnath continued, her voice barely a whisper. “So many died in front of me.”

In the pandemonium, she says, she saw a child being crushed. Driven by instinct, she tried to help, only to be swept away herself. “At least 20 people stepped on me turn by turn,” she said, her voice flat. “I didn’t get a chance to even get up.”

When Debnath awoke from unconsciousness, it was near a Naga Sadhus’ camp. They told her she was lucky to be alive.

Rakesh Kumar Roy, from Kolkata, shared a similar tale of survival. “We reached Prayagraj on the evening of the 28th. At 7 pm, we started our walk toward Sangam and reached there at 1.30 am in the night. For nearly five kilometres, it was taking 6-10 hours.”

He described the “flawed planning”, the diversions, and the sheer volume of people. “Like us, 80 percent of the people had planned to take a bath on Mauni Amavasya… The situation got worse, and it was suffocating.”

“People kept breaking barricades to reach the place to take holy dip… and crores of people started pushing from behind. Many wanted to leave, then, to save lives, and a stampede took place.” Rakesh’s voice choked with emotion. “More than 50 must have died, we saw so many of them lying dead.”

He recounted the near-death of a man his group pulled from the crush. “My friend kept pumping on his chest and in a few minutes we saw an ambulance coming in… he survived.” Roy acknowledged the prompt action of the police and administration but emphasised the sheer impossibility of managing such a crowd. “Any death is unfortunate but it could have been the biggest massacre… if there was a delay in action.”

Rakesh, still in Allahabad, waiting for the crowds to thin, offered a stark warning: “I will suggest — if anyone wants to take a holy dip, avoid the Shahi Snan days (key dates).”

“I am carrying the invisible scars of the Kumbh Mela: a pilgrimage that turned into a brush with death for me,” Debnath said.