Citing BBC report, Rahul Gandhi accuses UP govt of suppressing Maha Kumbh toll : ‘This is the BJP model’

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also cited the same media report to accuse the Uttar Pradesh government of lying about the death toll.

Published on: Jun 11, 2025, 22:58:00 IST

By HT News Desk

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that the number of people who died in stampedes during the Maha Kumbh was suppressed by the Uttar Pradesh government.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said that the death in the Kumbh Mela stampede were “hidden”. (File)

A pre-dawn stampede occurred during the Maha Kumbh in January as millions of devotees jostled to find a toehold before taking a dip at the holy Sangam on the Mauni Amavasya.

According to the figures provided by the Uttar Pradesh government, 30 people were killed in the tragedy that occurred between 1 am and 2 am.

On Wednesday, citing a report by the BBC, Gandhi said that the deaths in the Kumbh Mela stampede were “hidden”.

"BBC report reveals that the figures of deaths in the Kumbh Mela stampede were hidden. Like in COVID, the bodies of the poor were erased from the statistics. Like after every major railway accident, the truth is suppressed," he said in a post on X.

Also Read | 4 months passed, no part of ex-gratia offered to petitioner: HC on Maha Kumbh stampede

"This is the BJP model - if there is no counting of the poor, then there is no accountability either!" the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said.

Besides Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also cited the same media report to accuse the Uttar Pradesh government of lying about the death toll.

Targeting the Yogi Adityanath-led government, Gandhi said that those who provide "false statistics" are not worthy of public trust.

Also Read | Happy Passia wanted to launch terror attacks at Mahakumbh venue: UP Police

The BBC report claims that 82 people died in the stampede. The toll is significantly higher than the official figure of 37.

In February, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had also alleged that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh is “not releasing the correct death toll” of the stampede in Maha Kumbh.

"So many people died in the Maha Kumbh incident, but they are not releasing the correct death toll. They have created such hype that a large number of people visited Maha Kumbh, but there were no proper arrangements made at the venue," Mamata Banerjee had claimed.

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HT News Desk
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