"Not a very big incident, it's being exaggerated": BJP MP Hema Malini on Mahakumbh stampede that claimed 30 lives

New Delhi [India], February 4 (ANI): In a controversial statement over Mahakumbh stampede incident that claimed at least 30 lives and injured around 60 individuals, BJP MP Hema Malini said that it was not a very big incident and that matter is being exaggerated.
Speaking to the media, Hema Malini asserted that the Uttar Pradesh government is managing the grand gathering in a very good manner.
"We went to Kumbh, we had a very nice bath. It is right that an incident took place, but it was not a very big incident. I don't know how big it was. It is being exaggerated. It was very well-managed, and everything was done very well...So many people are coming, it is very difficult to manage but we are doing our best," the BJP MP said.
The stampede occurred at the Mahakumbh Mela during the second Shahi Snan on Mouni Amawasya, claiming at least 30 lives and injuring around 60 individuals. Several opposition leaders raised concerns over the government's handling of the stampede during the Mauni Amavasya bathing ritual.
Earlier today, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav has demanded transparency regarding the fatalities at the Mahakumbh stampede, urging the government to present accurate figures on the deaths, treatment of the injured, and arrangements made for the event.
Participating in the debate on the motion of thanks on the President's Address, Akhilesh called for an all-party meeting to clarify the situation and recommended that disaster management and the lost and found centre be handed over to the Army.
Yadav also pressed for strict punitive action against those responsible for the tragedy and those who concealed the facts, questioning the government's decision to suppress the numbers.
"For the Mahakumbh tragedy, there should be strict punitive action against those responsible and those who have hidden the truth should be punished. We ask the double-engine government, if there was no guilt, then why were the figures suppressed, hidden and erased?" he added.
"Log punye kamane aaye the aur apno ke shav lekar gaye hai (People came to earn merit, but they left with the bodies of their loved ones)" the SP Chief said. (ANI)