Opposition leaders on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh of hiding the real toll from the stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela pilgrimage site in Prayagraj on January 29.

This came after a report by the BBC published earlier in the day claimed that 82 persons had died in the stampede, as against the official toll of 37.

According to the report, those who died could be categorised into three groups. The first were those who were part of the official toll and whose families have received a compensation of Rs 25 lakh. The second group comprised those who were not counted in the official numbers but whose families received Rs 5 lakh as compensation.

The third group comprised persons who died in the stampede, but whose families did not get any compensation, according to the BBC report

Previously too, media reports have said that the actual toll from the stampede could be significantly higher.

Citing the BBC report, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Tuesday that “no information management can stop the truth from coming out”.

The former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh added that those providing “false statistics” cannot be considered worthy of public trust.

“The question is not just about hiding the statistics, it is also about speaking lies on the floor of the House,” Yadav said in reference to Chief Minister Adityanath.

On February 19, Adityanath had said that 30 persons had died in the stampede.

Yadav also raised questions about the process of compensating the families of those who died in the stampede.

"Why was compensation paid in cash?” asked the Samajwadi Party chief. “What was the source of the cash? Where did the undistributed cash go? Under which rule was cash distribution approved? Who authorised the cash payments? Is there any written order backing the disbursement?”

The Trinamool Congress also shared the BBC’s report and accused the BJP government of “playing politics over dead bodies”.

“They hid the true death count to protect their image and cover up their criminal negligence,” the party said in a post on X.

The Congress asked why the BJP was “more concerned about its image than the deaths of people”.

“This BBC report shows the insensitivity of the government, where people’s lives are being put at stake and its hollow image is being saved,” the party said in a post on X.

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