'Someone had thrown fire from outside', trustee of Geeta Press made shocking claim regarding arson in Mahakumbh

Fire breaks out at Mahakumbh: A massive fire broke out on Sunday in Sector-19 of the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, causing huge damage to the camps of All India Religious Association and Geeta Press, Gorakhpur. Although there was no loss of life in this accident, the flames destroyed about 250 tents. Geeta Press trustee Krishna Kumar Khemkar has made a shocking claim about this arson, which has started a new discussion regarding the incident.

The cause of the fire is not yet clear, but the trustee of Geeta Press says that some incendiary object came into their camp from outside, after which the fire spread rapidly. This incident has raised questions on safety and fire related precautions in the Maha Kumbh Mela.

#WATCH | Fire at #MahaKumbhMela2025 | Krishna Kumar Khemka, Trustee Geeta Press Gorakhpur, says, "This shivir is of Akhil Bharatiya Dharm Sangh and Gita Press, combined. We have built this with so much vigilance and all were prohibited from doing any kind of activity related to… pic.twitter.com/46kdH6COgY

— ANI (@ANI) January 19, 2025

Claim of trustee of Geeta Press

Geeta Press trustee Krishna Kumar Khemkar said, "This camp was jointly organized by All India Religious Association and Geeta Press, in which about 180 camps were organized. We were following all safety measures and everyone was told not to do any work related to fire." He further said, "Where we had set up the boundary, towards the west, it was declared a circulating area, where people would take bath in the Ganga. From the same direction something on fire came towards our camp and the spark gradually grew into a huge fire. As a result, all our camps were burnt to ashes."

There was fire in the cylinder

The fire started with a fire in one cylinder, which gradually spread and resulted in a blast in many other cylinders. Trustee Krishna Kumar Khemkar said about the cylinder explosion, "Our kitchen was a tin shed and we followed all the safety measures."

Fire controlled after hard work

After the efforts of the security teams, the fire was brought under control, but information has been received about eight to nine cylinders exploding in this severe form. The fire engulfed many tents spread in the area of ​​Maha Kumbh Mela.

250 tents burnt down

An eyewitness claimed that the fire destroyed about 250 tents. The flames were so strong that the incident spread over a large area. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) DIG MK Sharma said, "Our teams together controlled the fire and brought the situation under control."