The Maha Kumbh Mela, which began on 13 January 2025 in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, has attracted devotees from around the world (here and here). On 19 January, a fire broke out after a gas cylinder explosion in an area of temporary tents set up for attendees, causing damage to around 40 huts and 6 tents (here and here). After this incident, a video (here, here and here) went viral on social media claiming to show a hospital fire incident at the Kumbh Mela. The video featured visuals of flames, police and fire personnel on alert, ambulances with sirens blaring, people being carried out on stretchers and firemen preparing to evacuate people. It also alleged that 8 people were injured in the fire. Let’s investigate the truth behind this claim.
Claim: The viral visuals show an evacuation scene of a fire in a hospital during the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, causing 8 casualties.
Fact: The viral video actually shows a mock drill conducted by the Fire & Emergency Services of Uttar Pradesh Police on 27 December 2024, prior to the start of the Kumbh Mela, as confirmed by the Uttar Pradesh Police. While a fire did break out following a cylinder explosion on 19 January 2025, this video is unrelated to that incident. Therefore the claim is MISLEADING.
To uncover the truth, we conducted a reverse image search on Google and discovered that the same video was uploaded on Facebook on 2 January 2025 by a profile named Abhishek Yadav. The video was titled “A trial of Kumbh Mela fire accident in hospital demo” and was uploaded 10 days before the Maha Kumbh Mela began.
Further investigation revealed that a mock drill related to attendee safety was conducted on 27 December 2024. This was confirmed by the official “Fire & Emergency Services Uttar Pradesh Police” account, which made a post on X, stating, “This is a video of the mock drill conducted by @fireserviceup on 27.12.2024. Do not spread rumours based on misleading facts.” The post also included relevant photos of the mock drill.
Furthermore, the X handle of the UP Police fact-check team, “UPPOLICE FACT CHECK,” also addressed the viral claim. Using a screenshot of the misleading post, they clarified in Hindi, which translates to: “#UPPFactCheck – In the Kumbh Mela area, @fireserviceup conducted a mock drill. Legal action is being taken by registering an FIR through @kumbhMelaPolUP against those spreading rumours by presenting the mock drill video as real.”
In addition to this, we came across a tweet from ‘Vaibhav Krishna‘ (DIG Kumbh, Prayagraj) on his official X handle, where he explicitly stated in reply to the viral video, “This is absolutely false information. You are indulging in rumour-mongering. The video you are showing is of our Fire Mock Drill conducted a few days ago by Kumbh Mela Police. Strong legal action will be taken against anyone spreading unverified information.” This reinforces that the video in question was part of a mock drill, not a real fire incident.
The UP Police confirmed that the mock drill was conducted at key locations, including the Police Line premises, Central Medical Parade, Sangam Nose, Nagvasuki area, and the Prayagraj Railway Station, aimed at enhancing preparedness for real incidents and ensuring the safety of millions of devotees during Maha Kumbh 2025. However, on 19 January, a significant fire occurred which the police confirmed was caused by the explosion of two gas cylinders, but no major casualties were reported (here, here and here). In response, security measures were revised, including the establishment of a fire station every 800 sqm in the tent area and a response time of just 3 minutes (here). While the viral video gained traction after the fire incident, it is unrelated to the actual incident as it was part of the earlier mock drill.
To sum up, a fire mock drill video from Kumbh Mela is shared is shared as that of a real incident.
