Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai, during a press conference at the state Congress headquarters today, accused the Yogi government of concealing the truth about the Kumbh Mela stampede and withholding accurate casualty figures. He claimed that due to mismanagement on the night of January 28-29, a stampede broke out, resulting in the deaths of hundreds, injuries to thousands, and many still missing. However, the state government remains indifferent, failing to release an official list of the deceased or take concrete steps to locate the missing individuals.
Ajay Rai alleged that the aftermath of the tragedy was so horrific that several bodies were dumped into the Ganges, some were removed using bulldozers, others were cremated anonymously at electric crematoriums, and many remain abandoned in garbage heaps. He condemned this inhumane approach, criticizing the government for its failure, while families of missing persons continue to search desperately for their loved ones without any assistance from the administration.
Citing the death of Sub-Inspector Anjani Kumar Rai from Ghazipur, he stated that the officer lost his life while on duty during the stampede. Despite his service, he was denied timely medical assistance, and his family was forced to wait 11 hours to claim his body. The government even refused to acknowledge that his death resulted from the stampede.
Ajay Rai further accused the government of fabricating facts. He pointed out that when he planned a visit to Anjani Kumar Rai’s residence on February 4, the Kumbh Mela Police hurriedly tweeted on February 5 that Rai had died on January 30. However, police records indicate that his death was logged on January 29 at 5:33 PM. He accused the government of deception and attempting to cover up its failures.
When he finally visited the deceased officer’s family on February 5, the district police chief of Ghazipur was sent to the family’s house on February 6, which he described as a mere damage-control exercise by the administration.
In addition, Ajay Rai also criticized the Modi government over the inhumane treatment of 104 Indians deported from the United States. He stated that on February 5, the world witnessed a shameful spectacle where 104 Indian citizens, including 19 women, were repatriated in chains aboard a U.S. military aircraft. These individuals were deported due to a lack of valid documents, but the manner of their deportation was unprecedentedly cruel.
According to Rai, the deportees endured a 40-hour-long journey with access to only a single restroom and were denied even basic dignity, as their shackles remained fastened throughout meals. He lashed out at the Modi government for its failure to protect its citizens, contrasting it with Colombia, which had sent a special plane to bring back its nationals with dignity.
The press conference was attended by Congress Media Department Vice Chairman Manish Hindvi, former MLA Indal Rawat, and Congress spokesperson Puneet Pathak.
