Stampede 'will of God', won't deter the faithful: VHP

LUCKNOW: The stampede at Sangam that claimed 30 lives on Maha Kumbh’s most auspicious day won’t dampen the spirits of pilgrims as their religious grounding has taught them to accept such adversities as “the will of God”, VHP’s international president Alok Kumar said on Thursday as crowds continued to throng the venue. “Past experiences show that after such unfortunate incidents, they (pilgrims) continue their journey because it is not a matter of tourism or pleasure for them. This is for their salvation,” Kumar told TOI. “We are told 800 people died during Maha Kumbh in Allahabad in 1954. That happened when the then PM (Jawaharlal Nehru) was present there,” Kumar said. “The deaths did not deter Hindu society from attending such congregations.” He contested opposition’s allegation about BJP fuelling “VIP culture” and adding to the chaos at Maha Kumbh. “VIP movement sometimes causes congestion, but the stampede occurred after 1am when no VIPs were present.”