New Delhi:

At least 15 people were killed and several were injured in a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday, caused by a sudden rush of passengers who tried to board trains for the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. 

In a statement, the Ministry of Railways said a high level inquiry has been ordered on the “unfortunate incident”. 

According to sources, the injured were rushed to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narain (LNJP) Hospital for treatment. 

Deputy commissioner of police (railway) said many people were present on platform number 14 when the Prayagraj Express train was standing at the platform. The Swantrata Senani Express and Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani Express were delayed and the passengers of these trains were also present on platform numbers 12, 13 and 14, the official said in a statement. 

Eyewitnesses said due to a huge rush at the station, several passengers fainted due to suffocation.  

Here are the updates on New Delhi Railway Station stampede:

Prayagraj:

The sacred bath on Maghi Purnima began early Wednesday as millions of devotees gathered in the Maha Kumbh Mela area here amid elaborate arrangements, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath monitoring the event from Lucknow.

With the Maghi Purnima bath, the month-long Kalpavas will also end and the around 10 lakh kalpvasis will start leaving the Maha Kumbh. The administration has requested all Kalpvasis to follow traffic rules and use only authorised parking spaces.

Lakhs of devotees have already taken the holy dip at the Triveni Sangam and other ghats since the bathing started early morning. Millions of devotees are headed to the Sangam Nose to take a dip.

Chief Minister Adityanath is taking regular updates on the ‘Snan’ at Sangam, from the war room set up at his official residence in Lucknow.

Kumbh SSP Rajesh Dwivedi said, “The movement of devotees is going on smoothly and we are taking care of all (crowd) pressure points.” “We have made elaborate arrangements during the previous ‘snan’ on Basant Panchami too. Our arrangements have been further augmented this time. More deployment has been done at all the pressure points. Along with that, we are briefing people to ensure a smooth movement,” he said.

Chief Minister Adityanath greeted devotees and the residents of the state on the holy bathing festival.

“Heartiest greetings to all the revered saints, religious leaders, Kalpvasis and devotees who have come for the holy bath at the sacred Triveni in Maha Kumbh-2025, Prayagraj. May everyone’s life be filled with happiness, prosperity and good fortune by the grace of Lord Shri Hari. May Maa Ganga, Maa Yamuna and Maa Saraswati fulfill everyone’s wishes,” he posted on X.

Officials said they have made elaborate arrangements for the occasion to ensure the devotees take the sacred bath without any hassle.

The fair area has been declared a ‘no vehicle zone’ from 4 am on Tuesday, while the entire city will become a no-vehicle zone from 5 pm onwards, with an exemption for emergency and essential services. To avoid traffic chaos, designated parking lots have been marked for public and private vehicles.

Prayagraj ADG Bhanu Bhaskar said special police forces have been deployed at all places where crowd management becomes challenging.

The special traffic plan will remain in force till the completion of the bathing ritual to ensure safe evacuation of devotees from the fair area in case of any emergency.

ADG Bhaskar said that real time data is being collected from toll plazas and officials of neighboring districts so that the number of vehicles coming and the routes can be monitored and regulated.

Srinivas, who has come from Andhra Pradesh to take a holy dip, said, “It feels good. The UP government has made good arrangements. Many thanks to Yogi Adityanath ji, many thanks to Prime Minister Modi. Everyone has come to take a bath on Maghi Purnima.”

Another devotee, Gayatri, said, “I am very happy to be here at the Kumbh Mela. I feel very good to be here on this auspicious occasion. The UP government has created a good atmosphere here. Actually being a Hindu, this is the first time I have really felt like an Indian. People have shown their religiousness and unity has been promoted.”

Officials said the state transport department has arranged 1,200 additional shuttle buses, which will be available every 10 minutes, for the return of the devotees, The Uttar Pradesh government said on Tuesday that only 14 days are left for the Maha Kumbh to end. More than 45 crore people have taken a dip in the Sangam so far since the grand religious event started on January 13.

The Maha Kumbh will conclude on February 26 with the final Amrit Snan on the occasion of Mahashivratri.

A stampede during the Manui Amaswya ‘Amirt Snan’ on January 29 had left, according to the Uttar Pradesh government, 30 dead and 60 injured. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

What is the claim? 

A set of visuals featuring Monalisa Bhosle, a girl from the Mahakumbh festival who went viral, dancing and posing for photojournalists have been circulated online. The posts have been shared following reports of her signing a Hindi movie.

Bhosle, a girl from the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, gained fame after her images were circulated on social media. She was selling beads with her family at the Mahakumbh festival, one of the largest Hindu gatherings in the world, which began on January 13, 2025, and will continue until February 26. 

The viral clips surfaced on various platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X. One such video shows Bhosle wearing a red dress and dancing to a Hindi song at a riverbank, the second video shows her in a black dress dancing at a beach, and the third one shows her waving and posing for photojournalists. Archived versions of all these posts can be accessed here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Logically Facts found that all these videos are deepfakes. The first two videos are of a social media influencer, while the third featured a Bollywood actor interacting with the media.

How did we find it?

A closer examination of the viral clips revealed noticeable inconsistencies, such as unnatural facial movements and changes in skin tone. We were also able to trace the original videos, which were manipulated to create these clips.

Video 1

The first viral video showing Bhosle in a red dress contains a watermark of an Instagram account named “ni8.out9.” Upon reviewing this account, we found the same video (archived here) on the user’s profile, where the bio read “digital creator.” The video, however, was shared with a disclaimer clarifying that it was digitally altered.

The disclaimer in the caption says, “Disclaimer: This video was created using face swap technology for entertainment purposes only. The images and likenesses of actors shown here are digitally altered and do not reflect the real appearances, endorsements, or opinions of the individuals depicted. No intention to deceive or mislead; all content is meant solely for fun and creative expression. Viewer discretion is advised.”

A reverse image search on this clip led us to the original video posted on Instagram by a social media influencer named Tanu Rawat (archived here) on December 11, 2024. A comparison confirmed that Bhosle’s face had been swapped with Rawat’s in the viral clip.

Video 2

The second video was also uploaded by the same user “ni8.out9’s” on Instagram (archived here). Like the previous video, this one, too, featured Rawat. The original video was posted on October 14, 2024 (archived here) and it has been horizontally flipped to add Bhosle’s face.

Furthermore, a review of the account ‘ni8.out9’ revealed multiple such altered videos of Bhosle, all of which carry disclaimers stating they are not real.

Video 3

The original video featured Bollywood actor Wamiqa Gabbi. The actual footage can be viewed here and here (archived links here and here).

We also ran these videos through an online AI detection tool, Hive Moderation, which showed that videos contain “AI-generated or deepfake content.”

The above available evidence establishes that the clips are deepfakes.

The verdict

The viral clips of Monalisa Bhosle dancing and posing for the media are digitally manipulated. The original videos featured social media influencer Tanu Rawat and Bollywood actor Wamiqa Gabbi.

(This story was originally published by Logically Facts, and republished by NDTV as part of the Shakti Collective)

Mahakumbh:

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar on Saturday took a dip in the Sangam and showered praises on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the “excellent” arrangements at the Maha Kumbh.

Speaking to reporters, he said the world would be astonished to know that the number of people who have arrived at the Maha Kumbh is almost equal to the population of the United States of America.

“This is historic… to date, so many people have never come together anywhere on the Earth. The arrangements and the work done by the administration are excellent… I am overwhelmed. I had never imagined that such an event would be organised in India,” he said.

“A tragic accident had happened, but see how efficiently everything was handled,” he said in Hindi, referring to the stampede in which at least 30 people were killed.

Dhankhar said Adityanath must be praised for organising a historic event and highlighted that more than one lakh toilets have been built for the Maha Kumbh and the visitors were getting top quality food.

“When I took the dip, it was the happiest moment of my life. I’ve realised that there is no country like India in the world. Yogi ji has shown that if you have dedication, ability, knowledge of culture and a feeling of service towards the nation, then miraculous work can be done,” Dhankar said.

He also offered prayers at the Maha Kumbh and described the event as a blessing, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement.

Dhankhar, along with his wife and family members, reached Prayagraj in a helicopter and was welcomed by Adityanath. He then proceeded towards Arail Ghat from where he boarded a cruise boat to take a dip in the Triveni Sangam. He also fed some birds during the ride.

Amidst the echo of Swasti recitation, Dhankhar took the dip while keeping a Shivling on his head. The chief priest of Vrindavan, Pundarik Goswami performed the ‘pujan-archan’ while other priests chanted hymns.

After the holy bath, Dhankhar, along with his family, paid obeisance at the Saraswati Koop, Akshay Vat and Bade Hanuman Mandir.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu has announced a 50 per cent reduction in airfare for passengers traveling to the Kumbh Mela in an exclusive interview with NDTV. The new reduced fares came into effect starting today.

The government has already directed airlines to cut the ticket prices. Three meetings were held with airline companies before implementing the fare reduction.

Airlines were reminded that such a grand event happens once in 140 years, and they must be mindful of the significance.

At the same time, the government has ensured that airlines do not suffer financial losses due to the fare reduction.

Earlier, aviation watchdog DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) had asked airlines to rationalise airfares for flights to Prayagraj. On January 23, the DGCA officials held a meeting with airline representatives regarding this. 

In January, the DGCA had approved of 81 additional flights to meet the increased demand. Airlines, including SpiceJet, are operating more flights and the number of flights operating to and from the city has gone up to 132.

But the increased number also came with a huge spike in air fare, with Delhi-Prayagraj ticket prices alone seeing a 21-fold rise.

The Maha Kumbh, which started on January 13, will conclude on February 26.

The total footfall for the mega religious festival has surpassed 199.4 million, despite a stampede earlier this week due to the overwhelming rush at key bathing ghats.

A temporary city has sprung up across 4,000 hectares (9,990 acres) on the river banks – the size of 7,500 football fields – with 150,000 tents to accommodate devotees and almost an equal number of toilets.

Mahakumbh Nagar:

Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad president Mahant Ravindra Puri on Wednesday said that due to the stampede-like situation at Maha Kumbh, the seers have called off their Mauni Amavasya’s Amrit Snan.

A stampede-like situation broke out at Sangam earlier on Wednesday, where several people, including women and children, suffered injuries.

“You would’ve seen what happened in the morning, and that’s why we have decided to… All of our saints and seers were ready for the ‘snan’ when we were informed about this incident. That’s why we have decided to call off our ‘snan’ on ‘Mauni Amavasya’,” Mahant Ravindra Puri told PTI Videos.

As per tradition of the Kumbh Mela, Akharas belonging to the three sects ‘Sanyasi, Bairagi, and Udaseen’ take the holy dip in a set sequence following a majestic, awe-inspiring procession to the Sangam Ghat.

The seers and saints, including the ash-smeared Nagas, then immerse themselves in the sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers on special bathing dates like the Mauni Amavasya, which are marked by special celestial alignments and considered holy among Hindus.

On Tuesday, a day before the Mauni Amavasya, nearly 5 crore people reached for the dip during the fair, according to estimates of the Uttar Pradesh government, which expects the crowd to be around 10 crore on Wednesday. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Aviation watchdog DGCA has asked airlines to rationalise airfares for flights to Prayagraj in view of the Maha Kumbh amid concerns over higher air tickets on the route.

Airlines, including SpiceJet, are operating more flights to Prayagraj.

To meet increased demand for air travel, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has approved 81 additional flights in January, increasing the air connectivity to Prayagraj to 132 flights from across the country.

In a post on X on Saturday, the regulator said that in view of the likely surge in demand, airlines have been urged to increase further capacity by adding flights and rationalise fares.

DGCA officials held a meeting with airline representatives on January 23 in this regard.

Bookings as well as airfares for flights to Prayagraj have jumped multi-fold as more people travel for the Maha Kumbh, with the air ticket prices rising up to 21 per cent for the Delhi-Prayagraj flights, an analysis by travel portal Ixigo showed earlier this month.

The Maha Kumbh, which started on January 13, will conclude on February 26.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Mahakumbh Nagar:

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday urged people to take forward the message of unity, saying the country will be strong if Sanatan dharma is strong.

He also accused the opposition parties of seeking to divide the country on caste-religious lines for their own political interests and said doing so is nothing less than treason.

He voiced strong disapproval of demands from some quarters to divide the state into four, saying the potential of Uttar Pradesh lies in its unity.

“The message of the Maha Kumbh is the message of unity and integrity, and this should go out to the world. If all the saints, devotees or even tourists, who are part of the Maha Kumbh, take forward the message of unity, then Sanatan dharma will be strengthened and, if Sanatan dharma is strong, then our country will be strong,” Adityanath said in an interview to “News18 Network” at the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Prayagraj:

India’s space agency, using Indian satellites, has beamed down images of the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela – the world’s single largest religious gathering – at Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj.

The images by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) show a massive infrastructure made at the fair, where about 40 crore people are expected to visit over the period of 45 days.

Using India’s sophisticated optical satellites and day and night viewing capable radarsat, the National Remote Sensing Center in Hyderabad took a series of images showing the buildup of the massive infrastructure at Maha Kumbh Mela

NDTV’s Science Editor Pallava Bagla accessed these images to show the build-up of the temporary tent city and a huge number of pontoon bridges across the river network.

Dr Prakash Chauhan, the Director of the NRSC, said they used the radarsat as it could image the region through the cloud band that enveloped Prayagraj.

Time series images (September 15, 2023 and December 29, 2024) of EOS-04 (RISAT-1A) ‘C’ band microwave satellite, with its all-weather capability and fine resolution (FRS-1, 2.25m), provide unique insights into details of the Tent City (Layout of Structures and Roads) along with its network of pontoon bridges and supporting infrastructure, set up for the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025

The administration in Uttar Pradesh is also using these images to mitigate disasters and stampedes at the Mela.

The Prayagraj Parade Ground can be seen in these time series photos taken before the start of the Mahakumbh on April 6, 2024, then as the big development takes place — seen on December 22, 2024 — and when a massive crowd starts gathering to use the same is seen on January 10, 2025

“These advanced technologies represent a paradigm shift in managing large-scale religious gatherings. The Maha Kumbh Mela stands as a shining example of how technology and tradition can come together to create a cleaner, healthier future for all,” Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said.

The creation of the new Shivalay Park is viewed from space. The image from April 6, 2024, shows a clear field and by December 22, 2024, the Shivalay Park comes into existence and the landscape made in the form of the map of India is so beautifully seen and then viewed again on January 10, 2025

A new district – Mahakumbh Nagar – has been carved out in Uttar Pradesh for the religious event, which is celebrated at Triveni Sangam, the point where the Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers meet.

This year, the Maha Kumbh Mela has about 1,50,000 tents to house the visitors and is equipped with 3,000 kitchens, 1,45,000 restrooms and 99 parking lots.

Maha Kumbh Mela 2025

Kumbh Mela is celebrated four times over 12 years and rotates between four sacred sites in India – Haridwar (Uttarakhand) on the banks of Ganga, Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) along the Shipra, Nashik (Maharashtra) by the Godavari, and Prayagraj at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati.

Lakhs of pilgrims take a dip in the river during the month-long event. These sacred bathing rituals, also known as Amrit Snans, are believed to purify their souls and wash away their sins.

This year, Prayagraj is hosting the event from January 13 to February 26.

Nearly 26 hectares of land have been reclaimed and about 12 kilometres of additional bathing ghats were created for Maha Kumbh Mela.

Photo Credit: ANI

More than eight crore people have so far taken a dip at the Sangam.

New Delhi:

Abhey Singh, a former aerospace engineer from IIT Bombay who has become a major attraction in Prayagraj’s Maha Kumbh Mela, has been expelled from his akhara.

According to media reports, Mr Singh, dubbed the ‘IITian Baba’, was banned from entering the Juna Akhara camp and its surroundings for using abusive language against his Guru, Mahant Someshwar Puri.

A member of the Juna Akhara, however, said he was not associated with them.

“He was defaming us,” he told NDTV. “He was a vagabond, not a sadhu. He used to say anything on TV. He was thrown out.”.

He was not even a disciple of anyone, the member said.

‘IITian Baba’ On His Expulsion

The ‘IITian Baba’ has denied allegations that he was ousted from Akhara. Speaking to a news channel Friday, he accused the seers at the Akhara of spreading rumours about him.

“They think I’ve become famous and that I might expose something about them, so they’re claiming I’ve gone for secret meditation. Those people are talking nonsense,” Mr Singh, who has more than three lakh followers on Instagram, said.

Mr Singh, who is often also referred to as ‘Engineer Baba’, is a resident of Haryana. He says he left the path of science for spirituality.

“Science helps explain the physical world but its deeper study inevitably leads one towards spirituality. A true understanding of life ultimately brings one closer to spirituality,” he had said while engaging with devotees at Maha Kumbh.

The 36-year-old claimed to have completed his aerospace engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay.

‘IITian Baba’ Abhey Singh’s Traumatic Past

In an exclusive conversation with NDTV this week, Abhey Singh opened up about how the turmoil in his family home shaped his path.

“There was a mental health issue,” he said hesitantly when asked about his childhood experiences.

“The traumatic incident of domestic violence in my childhood had a significant effect on me,” he said.

Asked if he had experienced domestic violence firsthand, Mr Singh clarified, “Not directly, but my parents used to fight amongst themselves, which affects the child.”

“During my school days, I’d come home at 5 or 6 pm, and go straight to sleep to escape the chaos. I’d wake up at midnight when everything was quiet and no one was getting into fights, lock my door, and study in peace,” Mr Singh told NDTV.

He described the “helplessness” he felt as a child, watching his parents fight. “As a child, you don’t understand what’s happening, and you don’t know how to react. Your mind isn’t developed enough. You’re just helpless,” he said.

Asked if this childhood trauma influenced his decision not to marry, the ‘IITian Baba’ chuckled and admitted, “Exactly. I thought, why get married and face the same fights and conflicts that I saw in my childhood? It’s better to live alone and have a peaceful life.”