As Mahakumbh 2025 receives global appreciation, certain groups are trying to tarnish this grand religious and cultural event of Sanatan Dharma by circulating fake videos and misleading information on social media. The Uttar Pradesh Police have taken strict action against those spreading such false narratives.

Following Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s instructions, the police continuously monitoring social media platforms have taken legal action against 54 accounts for spreading false and misleading information.

During their routine surveillance on February 13, 2025, officials detected two deceptive videos falsely associated with Mahakumbh.

A misleading video falsely claimed that a massive fire had erupted at the Mahakumbh bus stand, destroying 40-50 vehicles. However, the footage was actually from a 2020 oil pipeline accident in Egypt. In response, the police filed an FIR at the Kotwali Kumbh Mela police station against seven social media accounts that spread this misinformation.

Meanwhile, another misleading video wrongly alleged that “nationalist people threw slippers at army jawans in Kumbh.” The footage was from a disorderly scene during a film shoot in Patna, Bihar. The police have identified 15 social media accounts that were involved in spreading this false information and have initiated legal proceedings against them.

Some Social media accounts have been specified for allegedly linking irrelevant incidents to the Mahakumbh 2025.

A group of accounts falsely connected the recent fire incident in Egypt to Mahakumbh. These include:

X (Twitter): India With Congress (@UWCforYouth)

Instagram: Harindra Kumar Rao (@kumar.harindra.rao), Anil Patel (@_1_4_3_anil_patel), Vishal Babu (@a.v.r_rider_0), Nemi Chand (@nemichand.kumawat.2022), Sifa Bhadoriya (@bhadoriya6285)

YouTube: Hello Prayagraj (@Hello_Prayagraj)

Similarly, another set of accounts attempted to link an incident in Patna to Mahakumbh:

X (Twitter): Inderjeet Barak (@inderjeetbarak), SUNIL (@sunil1997_), Nihal Shaikh (@mr_nihal_sheikh), Dimpi (@Dimpi77806999), Sat Sewa (@lalitjawla76), Sandesh Vatak News (@Sandeshvataksv), Lokesh Meena (@LOKESHMEEN46402), Raj Singh Chaudhary (@RajSingh_Jakhar)

Facebook: Yunus Alam, Aminuddin Siddiqui, Arvind Singh Yadav Ahirwal, Shivam Kumar Kushwaha, Jain Renu, Amit Kumar II, Mehtar Ek Yoddha Ballia

Over the past month, the Uttar Pradesh Police have taken strict measures against misleading social media posts and videos aimed at tarnishing the reputation of Mahakumbh 2025. Several significant incidents have been identified and addressed.

On January 13, 2025, A Twitter user shared a video of a mock fire drill, falsely claiming it showed a real fire at Mahakumbh.

On February 2, 2025, Seven accounts faced action for circulating an old video from Nepal, misleadingly portraying it as a stampede at Mahakumbh.

On February 7, 2025, An FIR was lodged against a Facebook account for falsely depicting a large gathering in the Sangam area as a stampede.

On February 9, 2025, Fourteen Twitter accounts were booked for spreading misinformation by linking an incident from Dhanbad, Jharkhand, to Mahakumbh.

On February 12, 2025, Seven accounts were penalised for falsely claiming that images of dead bodies from Ghazipur (2021) were related to Mahakumbh.

Following Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's instructions, the Uttar Pradesh police have implemented a detailed cyber strategy to protect Mahakumbh 2025. A specialised cyber-patrolling team actively monitors social media platforms, quickly identifying and addressing misleading content. FIRs are being promptly filed against individuals responsible for spreading false information.

To combat misinformation more effectively, the police are also collaborating with social media experts. Uttar Pradesh DGP Prashant Kumar has urged the public to verify information before sharing it online. He emphasised that strict legal measures would be taken against those spreading rumours to preserve the sanctity of the Mahakumbh Mela.