The revered occasion of Maha Kumbh is in full swing in Prayagraj of Uttar Pradesh. This monumental gathering has attracted global eyeballs due to its vast scale and extensive preparations. Nevertheless, there are individuals who have resorted to spreading unfounded rumors for trivial politics which evidenced by a recent incident.
On 14th January, a man was charged with disseminating misleading information on social media over the deaths of eleven devotees at Maha Kumbh, according to the police.
The accused has been identified as Lalu Yadav Sanjeev who lives in the Gulf. He is also associated with the Samajwadi Party. On Station House Officer (SHO) Rajendra Prasad Singh’s complaint, a First Information Report (FIR) was filed at the Pakdi police station and section Section 353(2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was invoked to charge him.
He ran a Facebook account under the name “Rakesh Yadav Azamgarhiya” and alleged, “11 devotees have died of heart attack due to cold during the holy bath at the Maha Kumbh and the ICU emergency camps are overcrowded with patients.”
First tweet rumours and then cry for mercy when get caught pic.twitter.com/s20AV9kP3s
— Rishi Bagree (@rishibagree) January 16, 2025
“It was an honest mistake. I apologize with folded hands and assure that I won’t spread such rumours in the future. I accept my mistake. Please forgive me,” the perpetrator then stated on his social media account which has now been deactivated.
The authorities soon took cognisance of the issue and informed, “The fake post pertains to Phoolpur Police Station area in which a user named Rakesh Yadav Azamgarhiya was spreading romours regarding the deaths of the devotees in Maha Kumbh. The bogus news was immediately refuted and the police have also submitted a case in the matter. Further investigation is undeway. Preliminary inquiry disclosed that the person belongs to Phoolpur and is currently staying in Saudi Arabia. The process to cancel his passport has also been initiated and further action will be taken accoring to the investigation.”
थाना फूलपुर क्षेत्रान्तर्गत राकेश यादव आजमगढ़िया द्वारा फेसबुक पर महाकुंभ में श्रद्धालुओं की ठंड से हार्ट अटैक द्वारा मृत्यु की भ्रामक खबर के संबंध में थाना स्थानीय पर सुसंगत धाराओं में अभियोग पंजीकृत व नियमानुसार कार्यवाही के संबंध में #Spraazh चिराग जैन की बाइट। pic.twitter.com/Cv1tCiBENU
— AZAMGARH POLICE (@azamgarhpolice) January 14, 2025
According to the police, Avkush Kumar Singh filed a complaint on X (earlier Twitter) on 13th Januar, adding that the offender has ties to the Samajwadi Party. The post led to panic and disturbed the peace, the complaint said. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Mohammad Faheem Qureshi was tasked with conducting an inquiry after the complaint. He mentioned that the case was registered following the investigation and legal action is being pursued.
Notably, the fraudulent claims and screenshots soon spread like wildfire on social media with many people, especially supporters and members of the opposition parties sharing the same. National Secretary of the student wing of Samajwadi Party, Aashish Yadav also posted it on Facebook along with others.
An apparent supporter of Bahujan Samaj Party and fan of Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad Ravan even inflated the fake numbers and claimed that heart attack claimed the lives of 20 devotees in Maha Kumbh.
Another person amplified the disinformation and asked whether the Sadhus who participated in the consecration ceremony of Ram Mandir were also among those who passed away or it was just a facade?
Several of these people have amassed thousands of followers who share their posts in addition to seeing and reacting to them. As a result, the false information was propagated and reposted by many individuals which further enhanced its visibility. Interestingly, after the authorities called out the fake news, some of them also deleted their deceitful posts fearing police action. However, others didn’t as it continue to spread online.