'Not very big incident, being exaggerated': BJP's Hema Malini downplays Maha Kumbh stampede (WATCH)

BJP MP Hema Malini has downplayed the Maha Kumbh stampede incident that claimed 30 lives and injured 60 people. The actor-politician on Tuesday said the matter was being exaggerated and that Maha Kumbh the event was well managed despite the massive crowd.

Hema Malini was quoted by news agency ANI saying,"...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 well...So many people are coming, it is very difficult to manage but we are doing our best..."

A day earlier, Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan had sparked controversy by claiming that the bodies of stampede victims were dumped in the Ganga, contaminating the water. Jaya Bachchan on Monday was quoted saying, "Ganga water in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, where thousands of people were taking a dip during the Maha Kumbh, was allegedly highly contaminated as stampede victims' bodies were dumped in the river."

A stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela during the second Shahi Snan on Mouni Amawasya claimed at least 30 lives and left around 60 injured. Opposition leaders have raised alarms over the government's response to the incident during the Mauni Amavasya bathing ritual.

Earlier today, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav called for transparency regarding the fatalities, urging the government to provide accurate figures on the deaths, treatment of the injured, and event arrangements. During the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s Address, Yadav demanded an all-party meeting to address the issue and recommended that disaster management and the lost-and-found center be handed over to the Army.

He also called for stringent punitive action against those responsible for the tragedy, as well as those who attempted to conceal the facts. He questioned the government's decision to downplay the numbers, stating, "If there was no wrongdoing, why were the figures suppressed, hidden, and erased?"

"People came seeking merit, but left carrying the bodies of their loved ones," the SP Chief lamented.