A May 2021 video of bodies floating in the Ganga during the COVID-19 pandemic is falsely linked to the ongoing Prayagraj Maha Kumbh
A viral video on social media (here, here, and here) claims to show dead bodies floating in the Ganga river in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. The post is being shared with claims linking it to the 2025 Prayagraj Maha Kumbh, alleging that while the grand event is being celebrated, bodies are floating in the same river. Let’s verify the claim made in the post through this article.
Claim: A video shows dead bodies floating in the Ganga in Ghazipur amidst the celebration of the 2025 Prayagraj Maha Kumbh.
Fact: The viral video dates back to 17 May 2021, showing a journalist reporting on bodies lying on the banks of the Ganga near Har Balam Pur village in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are no reports of bodies being found in the Ganga in Ghazipur during the ongoing 2025 Prayagraj Maha Kumbh. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To verify the claim, we conducted a Google keyword search but found no reports of bodies being found in the Ganga river in Ghazipur during the ongoing 2025 Prayagraj Maha Kumbh.
We then performed a reverse image search of the keyframes from the viral video which led us to an extended version of the same video (archived) on the YouTube channel of Brijbhushan Markandeya, dated 21 May 2021. In the video, a journalist reports on bodies lying on the banks of the Ganga in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The viral video’s thumbnail which reads “The dogs were scratching, how many should I count; when I called CM Yogi,” matches the original video.
The description of the video stated that the reporter witnessed over two dozen dead bodies on the banks of the Ganga near Har Balam Pur village in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, on 17 May 2021. He mentioned that dogs were tearing apart and eating the bodies, while some were submerged in the river. Despite multiple attempts to contact the Chief Minister, District Magistrate, and emergency services, he couldn’t reach them. He warned about the health risks posed by contaminated water and urged people not to dispose of bodies in the Ganga, calling for administrative and social intervention.
We also found several media reports from May 2021 about dead bodies floating on the banks of the Ganga, which can be seen here, here, and here.
To sum up, a May 2021 video of bodies floating in the Ganga in U.P. during the COVID-19 pandemic is falsely linked to the ongoing Prayagraj Maha Kumbh.