Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday slammed the double-engine government in Uttar Pradesh for not releasing the actual number of deaths in Mahakumbh stamped in Prayagraj on January 29.
Akhilesh went on to allege that JCBs were used to dump bodies and destroy evidence. "When it was known that some people had lost their lives, their bodies were lying in the mortuary and in the hospital, then the government filled their government helicopter with flowers and showered flower petals. What kind of Sanatani tradition is this?" he asked.
#WATCH | Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav says "When it was known that some people had lost their lives, their bodies were lying in the mortuary and in the hospital, then the govt filled their government helicopter with flowers and showered flower petals. What kind of… pic.twitter.com/vI2kbLsO6p
— ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2025
He went on to say that the Centre and state trying to hide the truth by putting pressure and offering sweeteners.
"God knows how many slippers, clothes, and sarees were lying there and they lifted all of them using JCB machines and tractor trolleys. Nobody knows where they were thrown," Akhilesh claimed.
The SP chief's remarks come a day ahead of PM Narendra Modi's visit to Prayagraj. He recalled that following the Kumbh Mela stampede in 1954, then PM Jawaharlal Nehru spoke in Parliament and released the number of casualties in the tragedy.
He said that while the Centre is explaining the budget figures promptly, the number of Mahakumbh stampede deaths are not being released. Besides death toll, Akhilesh said the data on availability of food, water, transport, doctors, medicine and treatment should be presented in the Parliament.
As per the data made available by the Uttar Pradesh government, 30 people were killed and 60 more wounded in the tragic stampede. However, former CM Akhilesh alleged that the state government is hiding the real death toll.
Demanding an all-party meeting to clarify the Mahakumbh arrangements, the SP chief said the Army should be tasked with disaster management as well as the lost and found centre at the Mahakumbh.
Akhilesh's party had claimed in the past that several hundreds have gone missing following the tragic incident. SP legislator Ram Gopal Yadav claimed that 15,000 people have complained about missing relatives.