'Insensitive' Yogi govt hiding correct stampede toll to cover up its failure: UP Congress chief
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai on Friday claimed that hundreds of people died in the January 29 stampede at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, alleging that the Uttar Pradesh government is hiding the correct figures to cover up its failure.
While the Uttar Pradesh government put the toll in the stampede at 30 dead and 60 injured, the opposition parties have been claiming that the actual figures were higher.
Speaking to reporters here, Ajay Rai said, "Hundreds of people died in the stampede in Kumbh due to mismanagement on the intervening night of January 28 and 29. Thousands of people were injured while thousands went missing.
"The Uttar Pradesh government is so insensitive that it has not yet released a correct list of the missing and the dead. People are running from door to door in search of their loved ones. The Yogi (Adityanath) government is hiding the correct figures to cover up its failure."
He also alleged that the last rites of many of the victims were not performed as per their religious beliefs.
"Some bodies were thrown into the Ganga, some were picked up by bulldozers, some were cremated anonymously in electric crematoriums while some bodies are still lying in garbage heaps. Perhaps this is the height of insensitivity," Ajay Rai said.
Referring to the death of sub-inspector Anjani Kumar Rai, the Congress leader claimed that the officer, a resident of Ghazipur, "died while performing his duty during the stampede that day".
"The chaos was such that even this brave policeman did not get an ambulance on time. And the irony is that the government is not even ready to accept that Anjani Kumar Rai died in the stampede," he said, adding that talking to his family members revealed the "inhuman face" of the Uttar Pradesh government, and how the ambulance to carry Anjani Rai's body was made available only after a long wait of 11 hours.
The Congress leader also claimed that as soon as his plan to visit the house of Anjani Kumar Rai was decided, the Kumbh Mela Police issued a post on X (in Hindi).
On the intervening night of February 4 and 5, the Kumbh Mela Police said in a post on X, "A misleading statement is being circulated through certain social media platforms that sub-inspector Shri Anjani Kumar Rai died due to injuries sustained in the stampede in the Kumbh Mela area.
"In the above context, it is to be informed that Anjani Kumar Rai was not on duty at a crowded place. On 30-01-2025, during duty, his health suddenly deteriorated and he was taken to the hospital for treatment, where he was declared dead by the doctors. According to his post-mortem report, the death was found to be caused by a heart attack."
It added: "Therefore, the statement regarding his death due to injuries sustained in the stampede is completely false. The entire Uttar Pradesh Police family is saddened by his tragic demise. We pray to God for the salvation of the deceased and the strength of his family/loved ones."
However, Ajay Rai claimed that no government representative visited Anjani Rai's house, "nor did they accept his martyrdom".
"After I went to his house on February 5 to meet his family, the next day, on February 6, Ghazipur's police captain reached Anjani Rai's residence. This weak, disorganised and incompetent administration of the Yogi government is making every effort to hide its incompetence," Ajay Rai said.
Referring to the recent deportation of Indian immigrants from the US, Ajay Rai said that on February 5, the whole world saw a "shameful picture".
"As many as 104 Indians were shackled in a US military plane. They were deported from the US in the absence of legal documents. Deportations have indeed happened before but never in such an inhumane manner. A total of 104 people, including 19 women, were brought like animals in a 40-hour journey.
"There was only one washroom in the aircraft for them to use. Not only this, they were not unshackled even when they went to the washroom or ate food. For the first time, deportation happened by a military plane," Rai claimed.
His remarks came after a US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar on Wednesday, the first such batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump administration as part of a crackdown against illegal immigrants.
Some deportees claimed that their hands and legs were cuffed throughout the journey and that they were unshackled only after landing in Amritsar.
"Even a small country like Colombia stood up to the US and strictly refused to bring its citizens in shackles and by a military plane. It sent its own plane to bring back its citizens with respect. Modi Ji claims to be a 'Vishva Guru', but he is unable to protect the identity of his own citizens coming from a foreign land," the Congress leader said.
