The Kumbh Mela is set to conclude on 26 February with people from various parts of the country still rushing to Prayagraj. Amid this, several instances of overcrowding at various locations including train stations have been reported (here, here and here). A sudden surge of passengers waiting to board trains for Prayagraj has also resulted in a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station leaving at least 18 people dead and dozens injured (here, here and here). In this context, a video (here and here) has gone viral on social media showing a crowded train with people hanging onto the doors and even sitting on top, claiming it to be a Maha Kumbh train. Let’s investigate the truth behind this video.
Claim: The viral video shows an overcrowded train with people hanging onto the doors and sitting on top, traveling to 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela.
Fact: The viral video has been available on the internet since 2018 and is not related to the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela. While several instances of overcrowding at various locations including train stations have been reported during the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela, the viral video is unrelated to these incidents. Hence, the claim is MISLEADING.
To find the truth, we performed a reverse image search on Google, which led us to the same video uploaded on YouTube on 27 February 2018. The video was captioned as showing a crowded train from Patna. This confirms that the video has no relation to the recent 2025 Kumbh Mela.
While closely examining the video, we found that the train displayed the number 40042. A search for this train revealed that it does not travel through Prayagraj. Further investigation showed that this video had previously gone viral with misinformation, falsely linking it to a stampede involving candidates for the UP PET exam. At that time, the North Central Railway debunked the claim, clarifying that this train does not pass through Prayagraj, UP.
At that time, the UP government also debunked the claim associated with this video when it was falsely linked to the UP PET exam. Additionally, we had previously fact-checked and debunked the same video.
To sum up, an old and unrelated video of a crowded train is falsely shared as a train heading to the Maha Kumbh Mela.
