Breaking News English

The world's biggest [gathered/ gathering] of humanity took place yesterday [on / in] the banks of India's River Ganges. Up to 30 million people took part in a [pilgrimage / pilgrim] known as the Kumbh Mela. Hindu devotees have been travelling across India [for / since] the opening day of the festival on January the 14th. Then, just a [modest / modestly] eight million took a dip in the holy waters at a town called Sangam. This is where the Ganges and Yamuna rivers [surge / merge] . Up to 100 million people will [have / make] their way to Sangam to bathe in the [scared / sacred] waters during the 55-day event. This year is a special one, known as a Maha Kumbh Mela, which happens only once [every / each] 144 years. Hindus believe that bathing in the rivers will cleanse their [sins / sinuses] and bring salvation.

Security has been [particularly / particulars] tight during this Kumbh Mela due to record numbers of [attendees / attends] and the execution on Saturday of one of [them / those] who attacked the Indian parliament in 2001. Kashmiri Afzal Guru was [hanged / hung] in the capital New Delhi for his [partner / part] in the attack. Militants had promised to [disrespect / disrupt] the Mela by causing a stampede. As a precaution, Indian police [lain / laid] on thousands of extra officers to look for [suspects / suspected] terrorists. They also set up increased numbers of [surveillance / survey] cameras. Meanwhile, a request went out to Indian celebrities to not visit the Mela at the busiest time. A police spokesman said the excitement created by a leading Bollywood actor or a popular singer could have resulted in a potentially deadly [merge / surge] .