Is ‘30 Crore Boatman’ Quoted By Yogi A History Sheeter?
During a discussion on the annual budget for 2025-26 in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly on March 4, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath shared a success story from the recently concluded Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. Pintu Mahra, a boatman, was praised for minting Rs 30 crores in 45 days during the Prayagraj Kumbh. However, recent media reports have revealed that Pintu is a hardened criminal and a history-sheeter from Prayagraj.
Cases of several serious charges, including murder and attempted murder, are registered against him. He is also accused of a heinous double murder that took place in Arail in 2009. As per local media reports, over 21 cases have been registered against him. Similarly, there are cases filed against his family members as well. Moreover, on February 11, a case was registered at Mela Kotwali against eight people, including Pintu Mahra, for demanding extortion money from boatmen. A boatman named Shani Nishad alleged that the accused had beaten him and his brother Pintu Nishad, further injuring him. They were threatened that the boat would only be operated if everyone paid them Rs 5,000 each. They were also threatened with being killed or thrown off the boat. It was also alleged that, before the incident, the accused had snatched Rs 8,000 from both boat operators.
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In the sensational double murder case in Lokpur, Naini, in 2009, he was named along with his brother Arvind and two other youths from the family, and was arrested and sent to jail. Pintu was named in another murder case in 2017. His son, Gagan Nishad, the plaintiff in the Barru murder case, was attacked with bombs and bullets in 2017. A total of three people were injured in this attack, one of whom died. On 28 August 2022, another case was registered against him at the Daraganj police station. It was alleged that while staying in Sonbhadra jail, he had intimidated Barru Nishad’s family and coerced them into testifying in his favor, reports Amar Ujala.
Pintu Mahra and his family primarily operate boats, engage in contracting, extort money from boatmen, and extract sand from rivers to sell. It is said that they remove anyone who stands in the way of their illegal activities and bullying. The history of Pintu Mahra’s family, as well as that of his entire clan, is marred by criminal activity.
CM Yogi had stated in the assembly that the Mahra family created history by operating 130 boats during the Maha Kumbh and earning 30 crores. However, this figure seems unrealistic when considering the government’s fixed fare rates. During the Maha Kumbh, the Prayagraj Mela Authority set the fare for boats from various ghats to Sangam at Rs 75 to Rs 160. Each boat could carry a maximum of eight passengers, excluding the two drivers.
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Additionally, boat operations were suspended for several days during the Maha Kumbh. Assuming Mahra’s boats made eight trips to Sangam every day, with a maximum of eight devotees per trip paying an average fare of Rs 100, each boat would have earned Rs 6,400 per day. In this scenario, the total earnings from 130 boats over the course of the Maha Kumbh would amount to a maximum of less than Rs 4.75 crore.
When asked about the amount they have made, the Mahara family replied that they had recieved several gifts and donations from the devotees being satisfied with their services.
Reacting to the recent developments, Piyush Rai, a journalist, in his post on X, pointed out the serious PR damage Yogi Adityanath caused by lauding a criminal in the assembly. “Think of this PR disaster where chief minister in the state assembly lauds a person for minting money turns out to be history-sheeter who has served jail time in a double-murder case. The PR company and media advisors should be fired without notice,”he wrote on X.
