Came to Mela to seek salvation, leaving with body of loved one

Sushila Kumari from Bihar, who had come to attend the Mahakumbh mela with her elder sibling Dinesh, stood outside the Motilal Nehru Medical College (MLNMC) mortuary in Prayagraj on Thursday.

- Kenneth John

MAHAKUMBH NAGAR: Sushila Kumari from Bihar, who had come to attend the Mahakumbh mela with her elder sibling Dinesh, stood outside the Motilal Nehru Medical College (MLNMC) mortuary in Prayagraj on Thursday. She was among a group of grieving relatives waiting to collect the bodies of their loved ones, who were killed in a pre-dawn stampede at the largest Hindu religious gathering.

"Wapsi mein Gangajal ghar le jana tha, bhaiya ka shav leja rahe hain (We had to take water from the Ganga while returning home, but I am taking my brother's body instead)," Sushila said, her face swollen from frequent bouts of crying and a sleepless night. "I will never come again to Sangam and will never forget the traumatic experience."