Maha Kumbh stampede: UP Minister allegedly called the stampede a “minor incident”

Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad stirred controversy, remarking about the recent Maha Kumbh stampede.

On Wednesday, Sanjay Nishad, Uttar Pradesh minister, stirred controversy by commenting on the recent horrific stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela. He allegedly called the stampede a “minor incident.” So far, at least thirty people have lost their lives in the incident, while sixty others were injured in the mishap.

Uttar Pradesh minister’s remark on the Maha Kumbh Mela stampede.

On Wednesday morning in Prayagraj, a devastating mishap occurred at the Maha Kumbh Mela, a stampede that claimed multiple lives and injured many others. The UP Minister, Sanjay Nishad, commented on the same, allegedly referring to the incident as a “minor occurrence,” given the massive scale of the event and suggested that such incidents are inevitable in large gatherings. He said, “Jaha itne bade bade ayojan hote hain, toh choti moti kahin koi ghatnayein ho jaati hain (in such large gathering, such minor mishaps are inevitable).”

Sanjay Nishad called the incident “sad.”

Sanjay Nishad, the chief of the Nishad Party and the fisheries minister in the Yogi Adityanath government, called the situation “sad.” But he also emphasised the challenges of managing such a large crowd. He said that Yogi Adityanath was looking into the matter and added, “One should take a bath wherever one finds space, and one should not believe in rumours.”

When asked about Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s allegation of mismanagement in Maha Kumbh, the UP minister replied that he would not comment on it. Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav demanded Army control at Maha Kumbh.