New Delhi:

The stampede at the Maha Kumbh – in which 30 people were killed and over twice that number injured – “was not a very big incident”, actor and BJP MP Hema Malini said Tuesday, days after her “very nice bath” at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and (mythical) Saraswati rivers in Prayagraj.

“… it was not a very big incident. I don’t know how big it was (but) it is being exaggerated,” she declared, also praising Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s administration for a “very well-managed” religious gathering. “Everything was done very well…” she continued, also seeming to excuse the stampede as ‘inevitable’ given “so many people are coming… very difficult to manage”.

On criticism by opposition leaders – who have accused the UP government of hiding the real number of deaths – she shrugged, “They will say what they want to… It is their job to say wrong things.”

Hema Malini took her ‘holy dip’ last week, after which she declared she was “feeling great”, and said, “I have never had such an experience before… I am fortunate to take the holy dip.”

The comments invited a sharp jab from Tariq Anwar, the Congress MP from UP’s Katihar, who said the actor could “never know what it (the horrific crowding that led to the stampede) was really like”.

#WATCH | Delhi: BJP MP Hema Malini says “…We went to Kumbh, we had a very nice bath. It is right that an incident took place, but it was not a very big incident. I don’t know how big it was. It is being exaggerated…It was very well-managed, and everything was done very… pic.twitter.com/qIuEZ045Um

— ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2025

“When she visited, she was given VIP treatment. Things at Maha Kumbh went downhill because the police and administration were both (looking) after VIPs. They did not bother about the arrangements and security for common people. If she says this is not a big issue… it is a mockery of the victims.”

#WATCH | On BJP MP Hema Malini’s statement on the Maha Kumbh Stampede, Congress MP Tariq Anwar says, “Hema Malini can never know what it was really like. When she visited, she was given VIP treatment. Things at Maha Kumbh went downhill because the police and administration were… pic.twitter.com/SnsQGfnIkA

— ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2025

The Samajwadi Party responded through MP Dharmendra Yadav, who also pointed out Hema Malini would have had VIP treatment for her visit to Prayagraj. “She is the ruling party leader and a big artist… it is possible she had special facilities (but) hundreds died and that is not hidden from anyone.”

Maha Kumbh Stampede

Thirty people were killed in a stampede after a restive crowd jostled for space and burst past barriers to take that ‘holy dip’, or ‘amrit snaan‘. At least 60 were injured in the tragic event.

VIDEO | Moments That Led To Maha Kumbh Stampede Caught On Cam

The stampede triggered furious pushback from opposition parties, particularly after the state government seemed to delay confirming fatalities; a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences to the families of those killed, well before the UP Chief Minister acknowledged deaths.

Opposition’s Attacks On Stampede

Ex-Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party has been at the forefront of the opposition’s calls for justice for the victims (and their families) and holding the government to account. This morning too, speaking in Parliament, he demanded that “those hiding the truth be punished”.

Mr Yadav has repeatedly raised this issue inside and outside the House, even leading his MPs on a symbolic walk-out last week as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman began reading the Union Budget.

READ | Opposition MPs In ‘Walk-Out’ As Nirmala Sitharaman Reads Budget

Later that day he told reporters, “There is something more important now than a ‘budget’.”

The SP boss was joined in his fierce attacks by colleague Jaya Bachchan, who is also an actor-politician; Ms Bachchan on Monday ripped into the BJP and the state government, accusing them of dumping the bodies of those killed in the stampede into the Ganga River.

READ | “Kumbh Stampede Victims’ Bodies Thrown In River”: Jaya Bachchan

“Where is the water most contaminated right now? It is in Kumbh. No one is giving any clarification on that. Bodies have been thrown in the river because of which water is contaminated… ” she said.

The BJP took strong exception to her remarks, accusing its rival of “hurting the sentiments of Hindus” and warning them that they “will have to face the repercussions”. The party also said Rs 1,600 crore had been spent for water management, including waste disposal, in this Kumbh period.

In Parliament and out, the SP and other opposition parties have demanded a verified list of those who died in the stampede, arguing the BJP’s UP government is trying to hide the actual number.

Kharge’s Attacks

Meanwhile, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge fired barbs of his own this week, declaring in the Rajya Sabha that “thousands” had been killed in the stampede.

When the BJP protested, and the Chair, Jagdeep Dhankhar, demanded he retract the comment, Mr Kharge said, “… how many people died… give that information at least. I will apologise if I am wrong.”

With input from agencies

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