Accusing the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of hiding the “actual” death toll in the January 29 stampede at Maha Kumbh, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said it was “deeply heartbreaking” that many people died at the religious gathering. She blamed the incident on “poor planning” and “so much hype”.

At least 30 people died and 60 were injured in a stampede in Prayagraj last month on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, while 18 people lost their lives in a recent stampede at an overcrowded New Delhi railway station due to Maha Kumbh rush.

Speaking in the Assembly, the TMC chief said: “I respect Maha Kumbh, but what they have turned it into is sad. They are saying 30 people died, but thousands of bodies have been swept away… They have hidden hundreds of bodies to bring down the toll. Maha Kumbh has turned into a ‘Mrityu Kumbh (Kumbh of death)’ under the BJP rule.”

Accusing the UP and the Central governments of deliberately creating a hype around the Maha Kumbh, the CM said: “Why did you hype it so much? Proper planning should have been done. It was a lack of planning. Such events shouldn’t have been hyped like this… Accidents can take place anywhere, but why intentionally hype it?”

Highlighting the plight of Bengal residents who died in the stampede, the CM alleged that their bodies were sent back without proper documentation, making it difficult for families to receive compensation.

Stating that her government organises the Gangasagar Mela in a well-planned manner, Mamata said, “We do not allow any VIPs in Gangasagar. Only a few selected MLAs are given the responsibility, and they remain there from start to finish. While I avoided the holy dip to prevent inconvenience to common people, the Maha Kumbh event saw special treatment for VIPs. For VIPs, there are camps worth lakhs of rupees, while the common people face danger.”

“I take pride in being a Hindu, but I also feel a strong sense of responsibility as a representative of all religions. While some may use religion to divide the nation, we do not,” she added.

The BJP hit out at the TMC chief: “These people are trying to show so-called sympathy but they are in real sense feeling more satisfaction in their mind and trying to score political points,” BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said in New Delhi.

MP CM Mohan Yadav demanded an apology from Banerjee.