Mahakumbh Stampede Throws Unanswered Questions
Mahakumbh Stampeded Image credit UP Info Dept
Instagram Influencer Claims ‘Second Stampede’ at Mahakumbh
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, February 1: Instagram influencer Tanya Mittal worked for the Uttar Pradesh information department for the coverage of the Mahakumbh at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. The state government is sharing data of the pilgrims at the Mahakumbh, which come at astounding numbers, running into crores.
Mittal belongs to several influencers hired by the state government to create video contents of the largest religious congregation in any part of the world. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is showcasing Mahakumbh to the global community to pitch the state at the forefront of India’s progress.
Adityanath has cancelled his elections rallies in Delhi, in days after the Mahakumbh stampede in which the state government said that 30 people lost their lives and sixty were injured. He was scheduled to accelerate the BJP blitzkrieg in the Delhi Assembly elections.
Mahakumbh Stampede Kills 30; ‘Swift Response Averted Tragedy’
Mittal claims that there was a second stampede. The Instagram influencer, in a reel, claims that she too was caught in the stampede. “At one point of time, I thought that I will not survive. There were small children who were trapped,” Mittal tells in the reel.
Bipin Choube, a reporter with TV9, was shooting at the Prayagraj mortuary for his ground report. He was counting the number of dead from the notice board when a person in plainclothes stopped him from recording the video and pushed the journalist out of the hospital campus.
“Is it Pakistan that I cannot report from here. Are you not ashamed of hiding the figure of the dead. The people are searching for their missing relatives,” Choube shouted at the man in plainclothes and the police personnel. The man threatened Choube with an arrest.
The television journalist demanded the man to disclose his identity but he refused to share his name and other details. The Uttar Pradesh Information Department has said that a total of 31.46 crore pilgrims have visited Mahakumbh till January 31.
Mittal shared a short video clip in which a mass of people can be seen pushing each other while a few of the women could be seen fainting. A couple of police persons are seen fanning the fainting women in the crowd.
The Instagram influencer said in the reel that some of the foreigners were also stuck in the “stampede”. “I and my team thought of helping the small children who were stuck in the crowd. They were crying for waters. But I myself got stuck, and at one point thought that I will not survive. Somehow, I pulled myself away,” added Mittal in the reel.
The three-member judicial commission, formed to investigate the incident during the ‘Mauni Amavasya snan’ at Maha Kumbh, has begun its inquiry. “The commission, led by retired Justice Harsh Kumar, held its first meeting with officials in Prayagraj on Friday. Following the meeting, the panel conducted on-site inspection near Sangam Nose, where the incident took place,” said the state government in a media statement.
Justice Harsh Kumar was quoted, saying that “the Commission is meticulously studying the topography and circumstances of the site. Additionally, CCTV footage and other crucial evidence will be thoroughly analyzed to determine the exact causes of the tragedy”.
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