CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI ■ ■ BENGALURU  THURSDAY  JANUARY 30, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 22  LATE CITY EDITION DISASTER STRIKES DURING RUSH FOR A DIP AT SANGAM’S NOSE, PROBE PANEL FORMED Ganga River PRAYAGRAJ PILGRIMS’ CRUSH KILLS AT LEAST 30 IN MAHA KUMBH N A M I TA B A J PA I @ Lucknow HC declares ED raid on ex-MUDA chief illegal E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Bengaluru THE High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday declared that the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) raid on the residence of Natesha DB, former MUDA commissioner, in connection with the alleged irregularities in allotment of 14 sites to BM Parvathy wife of CM Siddaramaiah, during , his tenure, as illegal, unwarranted and abuse of law. Interestingly, the court said mere possession of a site that was allegedly illegally allotted to an accused in a criminal case cannot be considered an offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), unless it attracts the provisions of Section 3 of the Act. P4 EXPRESS READ GST Intelligence busts Rs 665 cr scam ISRO hits century of missions Bengaluru: The Directorate General of GST Intelligence has busted a major scam that caused the state and central governments a loss of Rs 665 crore and a stock market scam of nearly Rs 3,200 crore | P3 Chennai: The Indian Space Research Organisation marked another significant chapter in its storied history with the successful launch of its 100th mission from Sriharikota on Wednesday | P5 AT least 30 people were killed and 60 others injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in the wee hours on Wednesday. The predawn tragedy took place at the nose of the Triveni Sangam—the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers—when a large number of devotees started moving to take holy dip ahead of the brahm muhurt (early morning hours considered auspicious). According to Maha Kumbh Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Vaibhav Krishna, the tragic incident took place between 1 am and 2 am. The DIG said barricades were placed for lane management but they could not sustain the pressure of the crowd. “The crowds broke barricades and jumped to the other side, crushing those waiting there to take bath. Over 90 injured were rushed to the hospital, out of whom 30 died,” he said, adding that many devotees, including women and children, fell down. Of the 60 injured, 24 were discharged after treatment with 36 still recovering in hospital. The Uttar Pradesh government ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident. A three-member com- mittee headed by Justice Harsh Kumar has been formed. The probe panel includes former DG V K Gupta and retired IAS officer B K Singh. It will look into the root cause of the incident, while the police will conduct its own parallel investigation, official sources said. DIG Krishna told media persons that there will be no VIP protocol at the mela, following strict orders from the state government. “We will not be entertaining VIP protocol for the coming snans,” he said, adding that there was no VIP protocol on Wednesday either. The clarification came after some opposition parties attributed the mishap to the ‘VIP culture’ being pursued by senior officials. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced financial assistance of `25 lakh each to the families of the deceased. He also urged people not to fall for rumours. A visibly emotional Yogi said: “The incident is heart-wrenching. We express our deepest condolences to all those families who lost their loved ones. We have been in constant touch with the administration since last night.” The Sangam nose is where saints and spiritual leaders from various akhadas perform their ritual baths. Though limited in Yamuna River STAMPEDE LOCATION: Sangam nose where Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati meet TRAGEDY EXTREMELY SADDENING, SAYS MODI Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to those who lost their family members in the tragedy describing it as extremely saddening A stranded devotee after the stampede at the Sangam during the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj on Wednesday | PTI 60 24 25 INJURED IN THE STAMPEDE GET FIRST AID, DISCHARGED DECEASED IDENTIFIED It is important to get to the bottom of the whole episode on how such a tragedy occurred — Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath terms of space, it is the mostpreferred location of the Triveni Sangam. One of the reasons for the tragedy, according to eyewitness accounts, was the sudden surge of pilgrims at the Sangam nose to take the holy dip at around 3 am, the start of the auspicious hour. “It was a frenzy and obsession to reach Sangam nose. HIGH ALERT Varanasi and Ayodhya are on high alert as authorities have stepped up security measures. The two holy cities have been witnessing heavy rush Also, the rumour that Naga sadhus had started for the holy dip made the devotees rush; they jumped over each other breaking the barricade. This led to the stampede as several women had fallen to the ground. They got trampled by the crowd proceeding towards the Sangam,” Rakesh Sahu of Rae Bareli told this newspaper. P10 FOUR FROM BELAGAVI DEAD Belagavi: Four people, including three women from Belagavi city, died in the stampede. The deceased have been identified as Jyoti Hattarwad, 50, a BJP worker, and her daughter Megha Hattarwad,16, residents of Vadgaon, Mahadevi Bhavanur of Shivajinagar, and Arun Koparde of Shetty Galli. The administration has formed a team comprising Shruti NS, additional SP, and Harsha Shetty, special deputy commissioner, R and R Project, to bring back the bodies. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan said at least 30 people from Belagavi, who went to Prayagraj a few days ago, lost contact with their travel agent after the stampede. Belagavi MLA Asif Sait said the state government has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to their families. P4 When you feel committed, before you even commit, you've found your Platinum Day of Love. Mark this moment with Platinum Love Bands. Crafted with 95% pure platinum, they carry the ‘Pt950’ mark of purity, one of the highest standards in precious jewellery, making them truly rare. Just like your love. A love so rare. A love so platinum. 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