Claim
Visuals of a crowd stuck in a narrow passage in Prayagraj amid Kumbh mela.
Fact
Old video of devotees at a temple in Barsana, UP.
A video purportedly showing a huge crowd cramped in a narrow passage is being widely circulated on social media platforms, with users claiming it to show the condition in Prayagraj where Mahakumbh mela is currently underway.
The footage, allegedly from Mahakumbh, is being posted across platforms just days after a tragic stampede marred the ongoing religious congregation in UP. Newschecker, however, found that the video is old, and unrelated to the Kumbh Mela.
Such posts can be seen here, here and here.
Also Read: Mahakumbh 2025 – Old Video Of SP Leader Dimple Yadav Taking A Dip In The Ganga Shared As Recent
Fact Check/Verification
A Google Lens search on the keyframes of the viral clip led us to a Facebook post by @amit.antil.5095, dated January 1, 2025. The post featured the same video to show the crowd at Barsana in Uttar Pradesh.
The video was also shared on YouTube by @vrindavandevotee on January 2, 2025, who also stated it to be from Radha Rani Temple in Barsana.
Further, we also noticed a watermark of Instagram profile @radharanibarsanaa in the last few frames of one such video. On skimming through the same account, we found that the viral footage was posted on January 1, 2025 with a caption stating, “Look what is happening in Barsana on 1st January?”
This verified Instagram account belongs to “Shyam Sundar Goswami Ji,” who, as per his Facebook profile, is a priest at the Shree Radha Rani Temple in Barsana.
The user had shared another video from the same location on January 1, stating “People stuck in the crowd in Barsana! The arrangements for the people who came today have been disrupted! The situation in the crowd is bad. Roads have been closed at many places. The route of commuting has been made one.”
A comparison between the two visuals can be seen below.
We also found a video on his Facebook account, live streamed on January 1, carrying visuals from the same location. “This is Barsana’s condition today.”
Also Read: AI-Generated Image Of Prakash Raj At Mahakumbh Goes Viral
Conclusion
Hence, an old video from Barsana has been falsely shared to show a huge crowd squeezed into a narrow alleyway in Prayagraj amid Mahakumbh mela.
Result: False
Sources
Facebook Post By @amit.antil.5095, Dated January 1, 2025
Instagram Post By @radharanibarsanaa, Dated January 1, 2025
Facebook Post By @RadhaRaniBarsanaa, Dated January 1, 2025
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