Kolkata/New Delhi: Speaking at the state Assembly, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee dubs ‘Maha Kumbh’ as ‘Mrityu Kumbh’ while highlighting alleged administrative and infrastructure lapses leading to several deaths at Prayagraj.
“This is ‘Mrityu Kumbh’…I respect Maha Kumbh, I respect the holy Ganga Maa. But there is no planning…How many people have been recovered? For the rich, the VIP, there are systems available to get camps (tents) for as high as Rs 1 Lakhs. For the poor, there are no arrangements at Kumbh…Stampede situation is common in a ‘mela’ but it is important to make arrangements. What planning did you make?” she said at the Assembly on Tuesday.
#WATCH | Kolkata: West Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari and other BJP MLAs raise slogans & protest against CM Mamata Banerjee over her ‘Mrityu Kumbh’ remark for #MahaKumbh2025.
Visuals of their protest outside the State Assembly. pic.twitter.com/arbSmGHxRE
— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2025
BJP MLAs in Bengal protested against Banerjee’s remark on Tuesday, calling her an “anti-Hindu chief minister.”
Following her speech, BJP MLAs raised slogans against Banerjee while wearing saffron turbans and branding her as a “Hindu virodhi mukhyamantri” (anti-Hindu chief minister). The BJP MLAs said that the alleged insult to the Maha Kumbh would not be tolerated by the people of India.
Concerns over water quality at Prayagraj
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has raised about high levels of faecal bacteria in the Ganga at Prayagraj, following a report submitted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The report, filed on February 3, indicates a significant rise in faecal coliform bacteria during the mega congregation, according to media reports.
The report indicated that the river water quality did not conform with the bathing criteria with respect to biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) during monitoring carried out on January 12-13, an India Today report stated.
The river water quality did not conform with the primary water quality for bathing with respect to Fecal Coliform (FC) at all monitored locations on various occasions, the report further cited. It also stated that a huge number of people taking bath in Ganga during Maha Kumbh, especially on auspicious days, led to an increase in faecal concentration. While sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the area were generally operational, the report noted that contamination levels spiked during the Shahi Snans and other rituals, India Today claimed.
This report has also drawn criticism from a Hindu seer, Jyotish Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati. “The National Green Tribunal had highlighted this even before the Kumbh started that the quality of Ganga and Yamuna waters was not good for bathing. They had also issued certain directions, especially on controlling the flow drains into the river. 40-50 crore people are taking bath there, it is being advertised all over the world, but the basic facility of clean water for bathing is not being provided,” he told the ANI.
