Old Stampede Video From Bihar Falsely Viral in connection to Mahakumbh

As the Maha Kumbh Mela continues in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, millions have gathered to take a holy dip in the Ganges. Reports suggest that over 8.81 crore devotees have already attended the world’s largest religious gathering.

While stunning photos and videos from the event have taken over social media, so has misinformation. Many old and unrelated videos are being shared, claiming to be from the ongoing Mahakumbh.

One such viral video claims that 50 people nearly drowned in a stampede at the Ganga River.

Fact Crescendo received multiple fact-check requests about this claim through its WhatsApp Tipline (9049053770).

We fact-checked the claim and found it to be false. This video is old and is actually from Bihar.

WHAT’S THE CLAIM?

The viral video shows an overcrowded ghat near a river, where the crowd appears to spiral out of control, leading to a chaotic stampede.

Many social media users shared this video with captions like, “Stampede at Ganga Ghat, more than 50 devotees narrowly escape drowning.”

Original Post – Twitter

FACT-CHECK

A keyword search led us to a report by ABP News and ETV Bharat, published on 12 August 2024. It contains the same visuals as the one going viral online and states that the incident took place in Bhagalpur, Bihar.

According to the report, the accident occurred at SM College Ghat on the fourth Monday of Shravan. At that time, devotees broke the barricades and entered deep water to take a holy dip. This led to more than 50 women and children struggling to stay afloat.

According to Aaj Tak, a stampede-like situation lasted for about 30 minutes. A major tragedy was averted thanks to the timely intervention of the SDRF team. Additionally, more than 12 Aapda Mitra guards at the scene played a crucial role in rescuing everyone.

CONCLUSION

Hence, it is clear that a five months old video from Bihar has been falsely linked to the ongoing Mahakumbh. The video is not from Prayagraj. It is actually from Bhagalpur. 

(If you come across any news, videos, or images that seem too good (or bad) to be true, don’t hesitate to send them our way. Our team of fact-checkers will look into it and then share our findings with you. Together, we can fight the spread of fake news and misinformation. Our WhatsApp number is 9049053770. To stay updated, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.)