Maha Kumbh stampede: Indian politician and former actress Hema Malini stirred a debate online when she called the stampede at ongoing Maha Kumbh, in which 30 devotees died, "not a very big incident".
On the reportage of the incident, she said that the situation was being "exaggerated".
Hema Malini on Maha Kumbh stampede deaths
The Bharatiya Janata Party MP told Indian news agency ANI, "We went to Kumbh, we had a very nice bath. It is right that an incident took place, but it was not a very big incident. I don't know how big it was. It is being exaggerated.”
#WATCH | Delhi: BJP MP Hema Malini says "...We went to Kumbh, we had a very nice bath. It is right that an incident took place, but it was not a very big incident. I don't know how big it was. It is being exaggerated...It was very well-managed, and everything was done very… pic.twitter.com/qIuEZ045Um
— ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2025
Defending the current Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the BJP MP said, "It was very well-managed, and everything was done very well...So many people are coming, it is very difficult to manage but we are doing our best."
Opposition party demands action against those responsible for stampede death
Hema Malini’s comment on the stampede case comes after Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav criticised the UP government for its mismanagement of the Maha Kumbh crowd and focusing more on self-promotion. He said, "For the Mahakumbh tragedy, there should be strict punitive action against those responsible, and those who have hidden the truth should be punished. We ask the double-engine government, if there was no guilt, then why were the figures suppressed, hidden, and erased?"
The stampede at the Mahakumbh Mela during the second Shahi Snan on Mauni Amavasya resulted in the deaths of 30 devotees. Close to 60 devotees got injured in the incident.
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Post the incident, the opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, have criticised the UP administration for only taking care of the celebrities and not paying enough attention to the common people’s safety.
(With inputs from agencies)