Hiding Real Death Toll In Maha Kumbh Stampede In Lok Sabha?

By Fnf Correspondent | PUBLISHED: 04, Feb 2025, 19:17 pm IST | UPDATED: 04, Feb 2025, 19:17 pm IST

During the Budget Session in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Yadav demanded transparency from the government, urging it to release official data on the casualties. Speaking on the motion of thanks to the President’s address, the Samajwadi Party chief didn’t hold back.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government, accusing it of concealing the true death toll from the stampede that broke out at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on January 29. While the government has officially reported 30 deaths and 60 injuries, the Opposition claims the actual numbers are much higher.

While the government is continuously giving budget figures, please also give the figures of those who died in Maha Kumbh. I demand an all-party meeting should be called to give clarification about the arrangements for Maha Kumbh. The responsibility of Maha Kumbh disaster management and lost and found centre should be given to the Army,” Yadav said in Parliament.

Yadav didn’t stop there. He leveled serious allegations against the BJP government, claiming that JCBs were used to destroy evidence at the stampede site. “The figures for the deaths in Maha Kumbh accident, treatment of injured, availability of medicines, doctors, food, water, transport should be presented in the Parliament. For the Maha Kumbh tragedy, there should be strict punitive action against those responsible, and those who have hidden the truth should be punished,” he asserted.

Taking a dig at the BJP’s “double-engine government” – a term often used by the party to highlight its simultaneous rule at the Centre and in states – Yadav questioned, “If there was no guilt, then why were the figures suppressed, hidden, and erased?”

The Samajwadi Party has been vocal about its concerns over the stampede, with party leaders alleging that hundreds of people are still missing. On Tuesday, Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav claimed that 15,000 people have reported their family members missing since the incident. He accused the government of withholding information and failing to provide clarity on the situation.

The issue has sparked heated debates in Parliament, with the united Opposition disrupting proceedings in both houses on Monday. They demanded an immediate discussion on the stampede, which they claim has been mishandled by the government.

The Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, has historically been a logistical challenge for authorities. This year’s stampede has raised serious questions about the preparedness and management of the event.

As the political blame game intensifies, the focus remains on the victims and their families. The Opposition’s demand for accountability and transparency has put the government on the defensive, with calls for an all-party meeting and Army involvement in disaster management gaining traction.