Maha Kumbh stampede | UP Police analysing 16k mobile numbers to probe ‘conspiracy angle’

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh police are investigating the stampede near Sangam at the Maha Kumbh in which 30 devotees were killed and 60 others injured, was part of a ‘conspiracy’. The tragic incident occurred on Wednesday during the Amrit Snan on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya.

According to the sources, the special task force (STF) of the UP police is analysing the data of thousands of mobile phone numbers which were active when the stampede occurred around midnight.

Sources said the data of around 16 thousand mobile phone numbers was being analysed. Many of these numbers have been switched off since the incident.

‘’We are also investigating the stampede from the conspiracy angle,’’ said a senior UP police official.

Sources said that the sleuths were looking for a group of youths, who had, according to some eyewitnesses, "deliberately" pushed the devotees ahead of them on the night of the incident triggering the stampede.

‘’CCTV footage is being analysed...we are trying to identify the faces with the help of the face recognition app,’’ the official said.

The sleuths have also quizzed the small vendors selling bangles and puja items at the Maha Kumbh, sources said. ‘’At present our focus is to ensure that the third Amrit Snan on the occasion of Basant Panchami on Monday passes off without any incident....the probe will gather pace after that,’’ the official added.