Suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma takes holy dip at Triveni Sangam amid ongoing Mahakumbh

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 25 (ANI): Suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nupur Sharma took a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam on Tuesday amid the ongoing Mahakumbh 2025.

She was seen chanting the name of Lord Shiva. 

Sharma was suspended in June 2022 as the spokesperson for BJP after her remarks on a television show led to widespread uproar followed by violent protests in several parts of India demanding action against her. Protestors said that the BJP leader's remarks about Prophet Mohammed, the founder of Islam, were in bad taste. There was also a diplomatic row with several Islamic countries like Iran and Qatar condemning her remarks.

The Supreme Court had granted protection to suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma from arrest in multiple FIRs.

Meanwhile devotees continue to arrive in large numbers at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj to participate in the ongoing Mahakumbh, ahead of the Mahashivratri festival on Wednesday. The Mela, which has witnessed a historic turnout, will continue until February 26.

Drone visuals from the Triveni Sangam showed devotees taking a holy dip, marking the spiritual significance of the event.

So far, over 62 crore devotees have participated, with more than 1.30 crore taking a dip on Monday alone.

On Monday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath posted on X, "More than 1.30 crore devotees today and over 63.36 crore devotees so far have taken a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam at Maha Kumbh-2025, Prayagraj, a living symbol of India's faith and Sanatan's harmony. The festival of humanity. Hearty congratulations to all revered saints and devotees who received the holy benefit of the sacred bath today in this 'Mahayagna' of unity! Hail Mother Ganga!"

In response to the massive influx of devotees on the last day of Mahakumbh, large-scale sanitation and cleanliness efforts have been implemented.

It has set a new Guinness World Record with 15,000 sanitation workers participating in a cleanliness drive across multiple venues. However, the final results of this record attempt are expected to be announced on February 27.

Rishi Nath, an adjudicator from Guinness, detailed the multi-layered evaluation process, including QR-coded wristbands, steward monitoring, and auditing teams across multiple venues.

"We have a multiple-layered evaluation system. The first system is the QR code system. So, each participant is given a wristband with a unique QR code. And as they enter the attempt area, that is scanned. And that data is logged into a central database. This happens across all four venues of the attempts. The second system is that when people are attempting the record, for every 50 participants, there is one steward who will observe them and make sure that all of them are adhering to the guidelines of the record attempt," he told ANI. (ANI)