The Uttar Pradesh Police have intensified their efforts against individuals and social media accounts spreading false information to defame the Maha Kumbh 2025. Following directives from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the police have been vigilantly monitoring online platforms and have taken legal action against 54 social media accounts involved in spreading misleading content.
On February 13, 2025, during routine social media surveillance, two misleading videos were identified. One video from Egypt and another from Patna was spread on social media claiming to be from Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj.
Egypt Fire Incident Misrepresented: One of the misleading videos shared by many claimed that a massive fire broke out at the Maha Kumbh bus stand, in which 40-50 vehicles were destroyed. But actually the video is from a 2020 pipeline fire in Cairo. Legal action was initiated against seven social media accounts, including India With Congress (@UWCforYouth) on X, responsible for sharing this misinformation. Police registered an FIR at Kotwali Kumbh Mela police station against the seven social media accounts responsible for spreading this false information.
The seven accounts booked are India With Congress (@UWCforYouth) X, Harindra Kumar Rao (@kumar.harindra.rao) Instagram, Anil Patel (@_1_4_3_anil_patel) Instagram, Vishal Babu (@a.v.r_rider_0) Instagram, Nemi Chand (@nemichand.kumawat.2022) Instagram, Sifa Bhadoriya (@bhadoriya6285) Instagram and Hello Prayagraj (@Hello_Prayagraj) YouTube.
Patna Event Misrepresented: Another video falsely claimed that “nationalist people threw slippers at army jawans in Kumbh.” However, in reality, the video of the chaotic scene was shot during the trailer launch event for the movie Pushpa 2: The Rule in Patna. Action have been initiated against 15 social media accounts by the police for this fake news.
Accounts that portrayed the Patna video as from Maha Kumbh are Inderjeet Barak (@inderjeetbarak) – X, SUNIL (@sunil1997_) – X, Nihal Shaikh (@mr_nihal_sheikh) – X, Dimpi (@Dimpi77806999) – X, Sat Sewa (@lalitjawla76) – X, Sandesh Vatak News (@Sandeshvataksv) – X, Lokesh Meena (@LOKESHMEEN46402) – X, Raj Singh Chaudhary (@RajSingh_Jakhar) – X, Yunus Alam – Facebook, Aminuddin Siddiqui – Facebook, Arvind Singh Yadav Ahirwal – Facebook, Shivam Kumar Kushwaha – Facebook, Jain Renu – Facebook, Amit Kumar II – Facebook and Mehtar Ek Yoddha Ballia – Facebook.
In addition to these, several other instances of misinformation have been addressed:
On February 2, seven accounts shared a video from Nepal, falsely suggesting it depicted bodies of stampede victims at the Maha Kumbh. On the same day, another account falsely alleged that bodies of Maha Kumbh attendees were being dumped into the river after organ harvesting.
On February 7, a Facebook account shared a misleading video, presenting a crowd management measure as a stampede. On February 9, fourteen accounts shared a video from Dhanbad, Jharkhand, falsely claiming that Uttar Pradesh Police were beating pilgrims searching for their missing relatives.
The Uttar Pradesh Police have emphasized their commitment to maintaining the sanctity and security of the Maha Kumbh. They have warned that strict legal action will be taken against individuals or groups attempting to defame the event or spread misinformation. The public is urged to rely on official sources for accurate information and to refrain from sharing unverified content.
