A massive fire broke out in Sector-19 of Prayagraj Mahakumbh Mela area on Sunday (19 January 2025), in which about 250 tents were burnt to ashes. The fire broke out in the joint camp of Geeta Press Gorakhpur and All India Religious Association Karpatra Dham Varanasi. There was no loss of life in the incident, but goods worth crores of rupees were destroyed. There are different statements between the trustees of Geeta Press and the police regarding the cause of the fire, due to which the case has taken a new turn.
of reports according toKrishna Kumar Khemkar, trustee of Geeta Press, said this incident external conspiracy Have agreed. They say that someone opened fire from the west. threw somethingwhich sparked a spark in the camp and it gradually turned into a big fire. He claims that all kinds of precautions were taken to prevent fire in the camp. He said that any fire-related activity was strictly prohibited inside the camp, yet the fire took such a huge form. According to Khemkar, the camp was a large area of ​​180 tents, of which nothing now remains.
#WATCH Fire at #MahaKumbhMela2025 Krishna Kumar Khemka, Trustee Geeta Press Gorakhpur, says, "This shivir is of Akhil Bharatiya Dharm Sangh and Gita Press, combined. We have built this with so much vigilance and all were prohibited from doing any kind of activity related to… pic.twitter.com/46kdH6COgY
— ANI (@ANI) January 19, 2025
Meanwhile, the police have attributed the fire to gas leakage in the cylinder. Of the Police according toa fire broke out after gas leaked in a tent, which spread rapidly due to strong winds. Due to the fire, there were several explosions one after the other in the cylinders, due to which the fire took a huge form. DIG Mahakumbh Vaibhav Krishna said that during the incident, teams of fire brigade, NDRF and SDRF took immediate action and brought the fire under control. At present a detailed investigation of the incident is being done.
During this arson, a stampede-like situation was created on the spot. Devotees left their belongings and tents and started running towards safe places. Eyewitnesses said that the flames were so high that smoke and flames could be seen from a distance. After about an hour of hard work the fire was brought under control, but by then more than 250 tents were completely burnt.
CM Yogi himself reached the spot, PM Modi also took information
At the time of the incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who was reviewing the preparations for Mauni Amavasya in the fair area, himself reached the spot and directed the officials to provide all possible help to the victimized devotees. He also gave instructions to rehabilitate the people affected by the fire and arrange necessary facilities for them. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took information about the accident from the Chief Minister and asked him to keep an eye on the situation.
According to the initial investigation, the fire occurred due to gas leakage in the cylinder, but the claim of Geeta Press Trustee has raised the suspicion of a conspiracy regarding this incident. After the incident, an alert has been issued in the entire fair area and the administration has tightened all security arrangements.
