The BBC report also claimed to have found evidence of stampedes and deaths in at least four locations in the Kumbh area on the day of Mauni Amavasya.
As soon as the findings were shared, several opposition leaders reacted and asked the government to come out clean on the death toll.
On Tuesday, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav accused the state government of lying about the death toll, adding those who provided ‘false statistics’ were not worthy of public trust.
On X, he wrote, “Fact vs Truth: 37 vs 82. This report is not the end; it is the beginning of the search for the great truth about the deaths that occurred at Maha Kumbh and the money associated with them.
“When the truth is revealed, the layers of falsehood are peeled away one by one, stripping off every costume and mask of pretence, lifting the veils. No amount of misinformation management can stop such truth from coming out.”
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
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also expressed concerns about the difference in the reported death toll. On X, she said, “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, All India Trinamool Congress launched a sharp attack on the BJP, calling the report a ‘Massive exposé!’
“A @BBCHindi investigation has revealed that the actual death toll from the Kumbh stampede was 82, not the 37 claimed by CM @myogiadityanath. BJP is playing politics over dead bodies. They hid the true death count to protect their image and cover up their CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE,” it said.
Massive exposé!
A @BBCHindi investigation has revealed that the actual death toll from the Kumbh stampede was 82, not the 37 claimed by CM @myogiadityanath.Here’s what @BJP4India’s cover-up cost:
???????? 26 families received only partial compensation
???????? 19 families received nothing… pic.twitter.com/Z3kekbUfp1— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) June 10, 2025
In a post on X in March, the official X handle of Maha Kumbh said, “Mahakumbh Mela – During an incident on Mauni Amavasya at the Sangam banks in 2025, 30 people, and 7 others at different locations, who were found with visible injuries, tragically lost their lives.”
महाकुम्भ मेला- 2025 में मौनी अमावस्या पर संगम तट पर हुई घटना के दौरान 30 लोगों और अन्य स्थानों पर 7 लोगों, जिनके शरीर पर जाहिरा चोटें पायी गयी थी, की दुःखद मृत्यु हुई थी।
माननीय मुख्यमंत्री योगी आदित्यनाथ जी की घोषणा के अनुरूप 37 में से 35 मृतकों के आश्रितों के बैंक खातों में…— Mahakumbh (@MahaKumbh_2025) March 26, 2025
The 45-day-long Maha Kumbh Mela started on January 13 with the Paush Purnima and concluded on February 26 on Maha Shivratri.
