‘Kumbh water most contaminated because dead bodies thrown into river’: Jaya Bachchan

Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan on Monday (February 3) alleged that the water at the Maha Kumbh in progress in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh is contaminated because the bodies of those who died in the recent stampede were thrown into the river.

Jaya Bachchan said, "Where is the water most contaminated right now? It's in Kumbh. Bodies (of those who died in the stampede) have been thrown in the river because of which the water has been contaminated.”

Also Read: Kumbh stampede: Congress slams BJP, asks why govt not revealing 'actual death toll'

The actor-politician said that the real issues are not being addressed. She said the common people visiting Kumbh are not receiving any special treatment, and that the state government is not making any arrangements for them.

She also accused the BJP government of lying that crores of people have visited the place.

“How can such a large number of people gather in that place at any given point?" asked Jaya Bachchan.

‘No postmortem’

She also claimed that the UP government did not do a postmortem of any of those who had died in the stampede, and that there was a “complete eyewash” over the incident.

Several opposition leaders, including Akhilesh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party chief, have accused the Yodi Adityanath-government of hiding the actual number of deaths in the Kumbh, and have been demanding that the issue be discussed in Parliament.

Also Read: Maha Kumbh: Drop in Prayagraj hotel bookings due to stampede

The stampede occurred early morning on January 29, when lakhs of devotees converged on the Sangam nose on the occasion of “Mauni Amavasya”, considered to be a very auspicious day.

The UP government for several hours that day did not release details about the number of people who had died in the stampede. After about 18 hours, the government finally informed the media that 30 people had lost their lives in the tragic incident and that more than 60 people were injured.

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The delay in announcing the details prompted several opposition leaders to allege that the government was not revealing the exact number of deaths.

Two days after the stampede, the UP government set up a 3-member judicial commission to inquire into the stampede. The panel has to complete its investigation within a month and submit a report.