An investigation by BBC News Hindi has uncovered that the death toll from the Kumbh stampede in India’s Uttar Pradesh state earlier this year was significantly higher than the official figure provided by the state government.
While the government reported 37 deaths, BBC’s investigation confirmed at least 82 fatalities.
The BBC’s inquiry involved interviews with over 100 families across 50 districts in 11 states, revealing that the number of casualties was far greater than what had been officially acknowledged.
The investigation also found that some families, whose loved ones perished in the stampede, were offered cash compensation of approximately $6,000 (₹500,000) but were excluded from the official death count.
BBC identified 26 such families who were omitted from the tally.
The findings have drawn sharp reactions from India’s opposition political figures, including the Congress Party, which took to Twitter to accuse the Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh of downplaying the true extent of the tragedy.
“The BJP government of UP had said that 37 people had died in the Kumbh stampede. However, the BBC investigation has confirmed the death of 82 people,” the Congress Party stated.
They further questioned why the government seemed more concerned with its image than with addressing the fatalities.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinet also raised concerns over the discrepancies in the reported death toll, stating, “At least 82 people were killed in the Kumbh stampede. This number is much higher than the 37 deaths reported by the UP government.”
In response to the BBC’s findings, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav also criticised the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling BJP, calling the official death toll “misleading.”
He questioned the credibility of the BJP leadership, stating, “Facts vs Truth: 37 vs 82. Everyone must watch, listen, and understand the truth.”
Yadav further criticised the BJP, saying, “Those who lie to conceal deaths cannot be trusted, nor should their supporters.”
