Maha Kumbh 2025 | Pictures of women bathing, changing clothes surface online; cops initiate action against social media handles

'Police sources said that some videos, which were not related to the Kumbh in any way, were being sold online by associating them with the event. ‘’We are investigating the matter…further information has been sought from Meta to identify the handlers of such accounts', an official said.

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh police have lodged cases against some social media handles after videos, purportedly containing footage of women devotees bathing in the Maha Kumbh, surfaced online and offered for a price.

According to the police sources, an Instagram account and a Telegram handle were booked in this connection and more information was sought about the handlers from the parent companies.

DIG, Kumbh Vaibhav Krishna said that taking the matter seriously and teams of the cyber cell of the police had been set up to nab those responsible for violating the privacy of the people. ‘’We will ensure stern action against all those found to be indulged in making and uploading the videos,’’ he added.

Police sources said that some videos, which were not related to the Kumbh in any way, were being sold online by associating them with the event. ‘’We are investigating the matter…further information has been sought from Meta to identify the handlers of such accounts,’’ said an official.

The opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) slammed the state government over the videos. SP president Akhilesh Yadav said that the government had failed to protect the privacy of the women devotees.

‘’It is a very sensitive matter as it involves the privacy of the women devotees….it is the responsibility of the government to protect the dignity of the women…the state government and other concerned agencies must immediately take cognizance of the matter and ensure action against the guilty,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, pages on Facebook that were promoting this obscene content were using hashtags like: #mahakumbh2025, #gangasnan, and #prayagrajkumbh while sharing their videos captioned- “Maha Kumbh Ganga Snan Prayagraj”.

The police have intensified their efforts and are working to identify and take action against those who are a part of the syndicate that is misusing social media to share obscene content.

Meanwhile, legal action has also been initiated against 101 social media accounts in 10 cases for allegedly spreading misleading information related to the Maha Kumbh and Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh Police said on Wednesday.

The action followed directives from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to curb fake news and misinformation regarding the mega event.

The police urged the public to refrain from sharing unverified information and encouraged them to verify any news, images, or videos related to the Maha Kumbh through the official fact-checking accounts of the Kumbh Mela Police and Uttar Pradesh Police.

(With PTI inputs)