Today, from 13 January 2025, the great festival of Hindus, Maha Kumbh Mela, has started in India. It will conclude on 26 February. Kumbh Mela is being organized in the city of Sangam, Prayagraj (Allahabad)
Amid this, on social media, a video from the Maha Kumbh Mela has gone viral. While sharing the video, users wrote, “A huge fire broke out in a hospital in the Maha Kumbh Mela area, 8 people killed.”
Moreover, several users shared this video and made similar claims. The link can be seen here, here and here
Fact Check
During the investigation, DFRAC found the claim to be false. We found a tweet from the official X handle of ‘UPPolice viral check’ published on January 13, 2025, with the caption: “In the Kumbh Mela area @fireserviceup. Legal action is being taken by registering an FIR by @kumbhMelaPolUP against those who spread rumors by calling the video of a mock drill conducted as real.”
Furthermore, we also found a tweet from the official X handle of ‘Vaibhav Krishna’ (DIG Kumbh, Prayagraj presently) with the caption “This is absolutely false information. You are indulging in rumour mongering. The video you are showing is of our Fire Mock Drill a few days back conducted by Kumbh Mela Police. Strong Legal Action will be taken against you if you float any unsubstantiated info.”
Conclusion
It is evident from DFRAC’s fact check that the video is from a mock drill conducted in the Kumbh Mela area, and not a real fire incident. Therefore, the claim made by social media users is misleading.
