The Uttar Pradesh government had announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh per family of the deceased.
Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh: An investigative report by BBC Hindi has alleged that the death toll from the January 9 stampede at the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj may be significantly higher than official figures, placing the number of fatalities at at least 82, more than double the Uttar Pradesh government’s official count of 37.
The report, published on June 10, is based on interviews with over 100 families across 11 states and 50 districts. It claims to have gathered concrete evidence of 82 stampede-related deaths, only including cases where families could provide proper documentation.
Also Read | Maha Kumbh Stampede: UP Govt Silent On Death Toll, Families Await Compensation
The Uttar Pradesh government had announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh per family of the deceased. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in a statement on February 19, confirmed 30 deaths from a single incident near Sangam Nose and seven more in separate incidents, putting the toll at 37.
However, BBC’s findings revealed that while 36 families did receive the Rs 25 lakh compensation via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), 26 additional families were given Rs 5 lakh each in cash, outside the formal compensation mechanism and not included in the official toll. BBC claims to have video and photographic evidence of police officers handing over bundles of Rs 500 notes to these families.
The investigation also found that several families were pressured to sign documents falsely claiming their relatives died of “sudden illness” rather than in the stampede. The origin of the Rs 1.3 crore distributed in cash remains unclarified, though families confirm Uttar Pradesh Police involvement in all such transactions.
In addition, 19 families claimed that their loved ones also died in the stampede but received no compensation. These families provided documentation such as morgue slips and death certificates, as well as photos and videos from the stampede site.
तथ्य बनाम सत्य : 37 बनाम 82
सब देखें, सुनें, जानें-समझें और साझा करें। सत्य की केवल पड़ताल नहीं, उसका प्रसार भी उतना ही ज़रूरी होता है।
भाजपा आत्म-मंथन करे और भाजपाई भी और साथ ही उनके समर्थक भी कि जो लोग किसी की मृत्यु के लिए झूठ बोल सकते हैं, वो झूठ के किस पाताल-पर्वत पर चढ़कर… pic.twitter.com/7vMg0o8kEo
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) June 10, 2025
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP-led UP government of misleading the public and asked the party, its leaders and supporters to introspect. He also put forth several questions over the process of compensating the stampede victims and their families.
“Why was compensation paid in cash? What was the source of the cash? Where did the undistributed cash go? Under which rule was cash distribution approved? Who authorised the cash payments? Is there any written order backing the disbursement?” the former chief minister said.
He further asked, “Were there irregularities in cash handling? And who instructed the officials to alter the causes of death?”
Also Read | If Kumbh Mela Numbers Are Correct, This Would Have Happened
The BBC report highlights a major stampede near Mukti Marg Chauraha at Kalpavriksh Dwar around 8 am on January 9, in which at least five people reportedly died. Among them were Panne Lal Sahni and Nagina Devi from Gorakhpur, Meena Pandey from Sultanpur, Krishna Devi from Haryana, and Sonam Kumari from Bihar. Only three of these families received Rs 5 lakh in cash; the others received no compensation.
Eyewitnesses like Archana Singh, who accompanied Meena Pandey, described scenes of bodies lying unattended for hours. Kusum Devi, the wife of Panne Lal Sahni, told the BBC they had to wait in the sun until 4 pm with the bodies of her husband and another deceased person before any help arrived.
