‘UP govt not releasing correct toll of Maha Kumbh stampede‘: Mamata Banerjee
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of not revealing the true extent of the tragedy at the recent Maha Kumbh. Official reports said that at least 30 people died and 60 were injured in the January 30 stampede. However, Banerjee claimed the actual numbers were higher.
Addressing a press conference after presenting the state budget, Banerjee said, “So many people died in the Maha Kumbh incident, but they are not releasing the correct death toll. They created such hype around the event, yet there were no proper safety arrangements.”
She further alleged that the bodies of Bengal residents who died in the stampede were returned without proper documentation, complicating the compensation process for grieving families. “We conducted post-mortem examinations to ensure families received death certificates,” she said.
Banerjee criticised the “VIP culture” at the Kumbh and said that she avoids the holy dip to avoid causing inconvenience to the public. “Before creating hype, one should ensure proper control,” she said.
The chief minister also aimed at the BJP-led central government, accusing it of ignoring the tragedy. “No probe panel was sent to investigate the Maha Kumbh stampede. But in Bengal, committees are dispatched immediately after local incidents,” she said.
Banerjee shifted focus to Bengal’s financial struggles, blaming the Centre for withholding funds under key welfare schemes like MGNREGA and Awas Yojana. “Despite this, we are committed to building 28 lakh houses for people. Twelve lakh families have already received the first installment of funds,” she assured.
In a sharp rebuttal to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s recent comments criticising the Bengal government, Banerjee said, “They should fix their corruption first. Nirmala Ji, what happened to Ujjwala Yojana? All they do is give speeches and control the media.”
She also raised concerns over voter roll revisions being done online, claiming it could lead to voter manipulation. “We will not allow outsiders to be added to Bengal’s voter list,” she warned.