New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Hema Malini on Tuesday made an insensitive remark on the stampede during the Maha Kumbh 2025 in which 30 people were lost their lives while 60 others were injured. The actor-turned-politician said that the stampede that took place on January 29 during the Maha Kumbh was not a “big” incident.

Malini said that the Opposition exaggerated the incident. She also lauded the Uttar Pradesh government for arrangements at the Maha Kumbh. While replying to a question on Akhilesh Yadav targeting the BJP government at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh over the stampede, the Lok Sabha MP said, “His job is to speak wrongly. We went to Kumbh, we had a very nice bath. It is right that an incident took place, but it was not a very big incident. “

“It is being exaggerated…It was very well-managed, and everything was done very well…So many people are coming, it is very difficult to manage but we are doing our best,” she added.

Congress’s Reaction:

Malini’s statement stirred a political controversy. The Congress hit back at the BJP over its MP’s statement. The grand old party called the remark “shameful”. “Due to the incompetence of the BJP government, a large number of people lost their lives in Kumbh.On this extremely sad incident, BJP MP Hema Malini said- ‘This was not such a big incident, it is being blown out of proportion’ This statement is shameful; it is the height of insensitivity,” the Congress said in its X post.

“From the very first day, the BJP government and the entire government machinery have been trying to cover up this incident. Till now it has not been revealed how many people have lost their lives. The victims’ families have been left to fend for themselves and all efforts are being made to suppress the incident,” it added.

What Opposition Said On Maha Kumbh Stampede:

Several opposition leaders raised concerns over the government’s handling of the stampede during the Mauni Amavasya bathing ritual.

Earlier today, Yadav demanded transparency regarding the fatalities at the Maha Kumbh stampede, urging the government to present accurate figures on the deaths, treatment of the injured, and arrangements made for the event.

Participating in the debate on the motion of thanks on the President’s Address, Akhilesh called for an all-party meeting to clarify the situation and recommended that disaster management and the lost and found centre be handed over to the Army.

The SP chief also pressed for strict punitive action against those responsible for the tragedy and those who concealed the facts, questioning the government’s decision to suppress the numbers.

“For the Maha Kumbh tragedy, there should be strict punitive action against those responsible and those who have hidden the truth should be punished. We ask the double-engine government, if there was no guilt, then why were the figures suppressed, hidden and erased?” he added.

“Log punye kamane aaye the aur apno ke shav lekar gaye hai (People came to earn merit, but they left with the bodies of their loved ones)” the SP Chief said.

Fatehpur (Uttar Pradesh): Two Indian railway officials sustained minor injuries after a goods train collided with another stationary goods train near Pambhipur in Fatehpur district in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday morning, leading to the derailment of the guard coach and the engine.

The accident disrupted train movement on the upline. Rescue and restoration operations are currently underway to clear the affected section and resume normal traffic, officials said.

Statement Of Subhash Dubey, A Doctor At The Community Health Centre

Subhash Dubey, a doctor at the Community Health Centre (CSC), said, “Two injured were brought in. They came to our CSC around 7 am and they did not have many injuries, so we did first aid.”

The injured have been identified as Anuj Raj (28) and Shiv Shankar Yadav (35). Both received first aid and were later discharged.

Railway authorities are assessing the damage and working to restore normal operations.

New Delhi, Feb 3: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking legal action against authorities and officials in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj for their “negligent conduct” resulting in a tragic stampede at the Maha Kumbh, in which at least 30 people were killed and around 60 others were injured.

A bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar suggested the PIL litigant, advocate Vishal Tiwari, who appeared as a party in-person, to approach the Allahabad High Court for redressal of the grievances raised in the petition.

The CJI Khanna-led Bench took note of the submission by senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, representing the Uttar Pradesh government, that a judicial inquiry has already been set up by the state government to probe the cause of the stampede and a similar petition has also been filed before the Allahabad High Court.

“It is something of concern and it is an unfortunate incident. But move the (Allahabad) High Court,” the apex court told the PIL litigant.

The petition filed before the apex court said the incidents of stampede have become regular and the incident in Prayagraj depicts the drastic condition and fate of people due to the lapses, negligence and utter failure of administration purported by the government authorities.

Apart from the “failure of maintaining and administering the supervision”, the plea alleged that the authorities had also failed in controlling the crowd gathered for the event.

“From the 1954 Kumbh Mela stampede accident to the Maha Kumbh 2025 stampede in Uttar Pradesh which took around 30 lives and left several injured, it is clear and visible to mention that nothing in the administration activity of our country has changed wherein such actions could have been avoided by showing reasonable duty of care and upfront repair and development activity,” stated the petition.

Quite often there are reports of casualties occurring due to overcrowding and lack of management by the administration and its municipal bodies, it highlighted, adding that every time such incidents take place, it underscores that “we have not learnt anything from the past”.

As per the petition, the event of Kumbh is one of the biggest and leading religious events of the nation, and hence, it becomes the collective responsibility of all states to ensure the safety and secure visit of its respective residents.

“All states shall have to come forward for proper facilitation, security, medical facility, transportation and other facilities for their respective residents who are going to Maha Kumbh. Whenever such incidents happen, mostly the common and poor people become victims,” the petition said.

“There are several questions which are brewing up from this horrific incident of stampede thereby questioning the duty and lapse of state government and Municipal Corporations,” it added.

Similar incidents of stampede had also taken place earlier in religious festivals, ceremonies and events, the petition said. It prayed that the Uttar Pradesh government be directed to file a status report on the Maha Kumbh 2025 stampede incident and initiate legal action against the authorities and officials for their negligent conduct.

On Monday, Parliament’s Budget session resumed with an uproar as the Opposition demanded accountability from the Uttar Pradesh government and accused the state government of concealing the actual number of deaths. They have also demanded a comprehensive list of those who died in the tragedy, slamming Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for initially refusing to confirm fatalities for several hours after the incident.

Some Opposition MPs even called for the Chief Minister’s resignation. Amid the commotion, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged members to maintain order, blaming the Opposition for disrupting proceedings.