The Maha Kumbh Mela, a significant religious gathering held every 12 years in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, commenced on January 13, 2025. Amid the celebrations, a video began circulating on social media showing police personnel extinguishing a fire and rescuing people outside what appears to be a hospital. The social media claims alongside the video states that a massive fire broke out at the Maha Kumbh Mela's Central Hospital, resulting in eight deaths.
Nazneen Akhtar, a social media influencer and advocate, shared the video on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption, "Massive fire in the hospital of the Maha Kumbh Mela area." However, this post was later deleted. (Archived link)
Video creator Kanhaiya Yadav also shared the video with similar claims on his Instagram page and YouTube channel. (Archived link 1, link 2)
Several other X users, including Vakil Pradhan, Saima Khan, along with accounts like News Jungal further propagated the claim of a deadly fire during the Kumbh Mela. (Archived link 1, link 2, link 3)
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Fact Check
The Uttar Pradesh Kumbh Mela Police responded to Nazneen Akhtar's post on X, clarifying that the viral video was not of a real incident but part of a mock drill.
Additionally, the fact-checking wing of the Uttar Pradesh Police shared a screenshot of Akhtar's now deleted post, warning that legal action would be taken against those spreading misinformation.
Further investigation revealed a tweet from the Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Police Service dated December 27, 2024. The post stated that a mock drill had been successfully conducted in various locations, including the Police Line Mahakumbh Mela, Prayagraj, Central Medical Parade, Sangam Nose, Nag Vasuki Area, and Prayagraj/Phaphamau Railway Stations. The exercise was supervised by deputy director Mahakumbh, Shri Aman Sharma, and attended by all officers and employees of the fire service.
A report in Dainik Bhaskar on December 27, 2024, also covered this mock drill. According to the article, the fire department conducted the drill at a temporary 100-bed temporary central hospital set up within the Maha Kumbh Mela.
Alt News found that the video in question was first shared on December 28, 2024, by a Facebook user named Praveen Kumar. The caption mentioned that the footage was of a mock drill. However, the misleading text above the video claimed eight people had died.
Alt News then reached out to Praveen Kumar himself, who admitted to recording the mock drill video. Regarding the misleading text claiming eight casualties, he stated, "I did this to increase my reach. But when many people started making false claims based on it, I deleted the video."
To sum it up, the viral video alleging a fire at the Maha Kumbh Mela's hospital is actually footage of a mock drill conducted by the Uttar Pradesh fire department to ensure preparedness for emergencies during the Mela.
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