Pall of gloom descends on family of woman who died in Maha Kumbh stampede

LUCKNOW: Manju Pandey, 58, a resident of Indiranagar, died in a stampede in Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj on Wednesday.

She had gone to Prayagraj with her husband, Tribhuvan Narayan Pandey, 60, a retired HAL engineer, on Jan 27.

Manju and her husband completed their ritualistic bath and were making their way back to their camp when sudden chaos erupted in the crowd. In the commotion, she was separated from her husband, and despite his efforts to locate her, he lost sight of her amidst the massive gathering.

Hours later, the Prayagraj administration released some images of the deceased, which led the grieving family to discover Manju's fate. Her body was later brought back to Lucknow via ambulance, where a heart-wrenching scene unfolded at their residence.

As her mortal remains arrived home, relatives, neighbours, and well-wishers gathered in large numbers, offering support to the bereaved husband and their two children—a son and a daughter.

Local municipal representatives and police officers from Indiranagar also reached the residence to offer condolences and assistance.

Tribhuvan Narayan Pandey also sustained injuries in the stampede but survived. Expressing his devastation, he recalled the terrifying moments when the crowd became uncontrollable. He struggled to keep hold of his wife's hand, but within seconds, she was lost in the crowd.