Lost in melee forever, kin grieve loss of loved ones
Families mourn loved ones lost in the Mahakumbh stampede, as they retrieve bodies for last rites, reflecting on the tragedy and shock of the incident.
People from different states of the country grieved the loss of their loved ones who died in the Mahakumbh stampede, as they came to collect the bodies for the last rites.
Hindustan Times spoke to some grieving families over the phone.
Gujarat resident Mahesh Bhai Patel, 70, who set out with 40 villagers including some family members in a private bus, had thought it would be great for them. His entire group had set out to take a holy dip at midnight on Wednesday when the stampede took place and Patel died, said his group members. “We found him dead in the morning in the hospital,” said his nephew, Babu Bhai Patel.
He said that they booked the bus from their village in Mehsana district of Gujarat and had reached the same morning. “After the incident, our entire group is under shock, and we all are returning without taking a dip. Many of us are injured,” said Patel.
Reena Yadav, 55, a Prayagraj resident and a teacher by profession was among the deceased, had gone with 7-8 women of her area to take a holy dip but lost her life. Her son, Harshit Kumar, who works in Malaysia, reached on Thursday to cremate the body and said, “I wish I had known that she was going there; I would not let her go.” Her husband Ramkesh Yadav, a retired technician of the Air Force said, “I got to know of my wife’s demise when her pictures flashed on social media. We directly reached Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital mortuary where we found her body.
Priya Devi, 65, who came from Patna, also died in the melee. Her family said that she had gone with a group of 10 people and got lost during the stampede and authorities contacted them from her Aadhar card to tell them that she is dead in a hospital.
Vasani Poddar, 59, a resident of Kolkata, who had gone with her sister and daughter, also perished in the stampede and her body was brought home on Thursday.
Her son, Sujeet Poddar, told Hindustan Times that if the arrangements had been good, his mother would still be alive. “They were planning for months. My mother, being elderly, said this would be her last Kumbh and it actually turned out to be so.”
