Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav alleged that bodies from the Maha Kumbh stampede were buried using heavy machinery like JCBs and tractors, and their whereabouts remain unknown. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Yadav’s remarks are expected to spark controversy ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Prayagraj.

The Samajwadi Party chief urged the Central government to immediately transfer the administration and management of the Maha Kumbh Mela to the Indian Army, citing a lack of trust in the Uttar Pradesh government’s handling of the event. He further claimed that the UP government acknowledged the deaths of nearly 30 people in the stampede only after the Prime Minister and the President expressed their condolences—taking 17 hours to do so.

Akhilesh Yadav called on the government to provide accurate figures on the number of deaths, the treatment of the injured, and the overall arrangements for the event. He demanded an all-party meeting to clarify disaster management plans and lost-and-found center arrangements for the Maha Kumbh and insisted that the Army take over responsibility for the event’s management.

He also stressed that details regarding fatalities, medical care for the injured, and the availability of essential resources such as medicines, doctors, food, water, and transportation should be presented in Parliament.