Prayagraj, Feb 14: The Uttar Pradesh Police have taken legal action against 53 social media accounts over the last month for allegedly disseminating false information regarding the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj.
This initiative follows a directive from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath aimed at combating fake news, as authorities identified several misleading posts, including outdated videos incorrectly associated with the event, as stated by senior officials.
Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar announced on Thursday evening that the department has developed a thorough strategy that includes ongoing cyber surveillance conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Police and specialized agencies to monitor and mitigate misleading content on social media.
On February 13, cyber monitoring detected two deceptive videos falsely linked to the Maha Kumbh. The first video, which originated from a fire incident in Egypt, was wrongfully circulated as a blaze at the Maha Kumbh bus stand, claiming that 40-50 vehicles had been destroyed. Investigations revealed that this footage was actually from a pipeline fire in Cairo on July 14, 2020.
Both the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela administration and the Uttar Pradesh Police officially refuted the claim on their social media platforms, leading to legal action against several accounts responsible for the spread of this misinformation.
The second video came from a November 2024 event in Patna and was inaccurately represented as an incident from the Maha Kumbh, alleging that nationalists and religious individuals had thrown shoes at army personnel. Authorities confirmed that this footage was taken during a promotional event for the film “Pushpa 2” at Gandhi Maidan, Patna, where an unruly crowd caused disturbances.
Legal action was taken against 15 social media accounts for attempts to incite communal discord.
In total, 53 social media accounts have faced legal repercussions for spreading false information related to the Maha Kumbh over the past month. On January 13, 2025, one account falsely claimed that a routine fire drill carried out by the Uttar Pradesh Fire Service was an actual fire incident at the Kumbh Mela.
Similarly, on February 2, seven accounts circulated a misleading video from Nepal, falsely implying that victims’ bodies from a stampede were being transported away due to a lack of transportation.
On the same day, another account made unfounded allegations that bodies of Maha Kumbh attendees were being disposed of in the river after their organs were harvested. A few days later, on February 7, a Facebook account misrepresented crowd management measures as a stampede.
On February 9, 14 accounts shared a video from Dhanbad, Jharkhand, alleging that Uttar Pradesh Police were assaulting pilgrims searching for their missing relatives. An incident on February 12 involved seven accounts sharing a 2021 video from Ghazipur, falsely asserting it depicted bodies of stampede victims floating in the Ganges.
DGP Kumar stated that to safeguard the Maha Kumbh, the Uttar Pradesh Police have established a 24/7 cyber surveillance system to identify and counter misinformation. Legal actions are being pursued against the identified accounts, and authorities are collaborating with social media platforms to track down those responsible.
“We encourage citizens to verify information before sharing online and to act responsibly. The dissemination of misinformation may lead to legal consequences,” Kumar emphasized.
To date, nearly 500 million people have attended the Maha Kumbh, the world’s largest spiritual gathering, located at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj. This grand Hindu pilgrimage, occurring after 12 years, commenced on January 13 and will continue until February 26. (Agencies)
