Prayagraj: On Sunday, a massive fire broke out in Gita Press 'shivir' (camp) at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, ravaging dozens of tents. While, fortunately, no casualties were reported, the Trustee of Gita Press Gorakhpur has suspected foul play behind the blaze.
Speaking on the fire tragedy, Krishna Kumar Khemka, the Trustee of Gita Press Gorakhpur, said that the camp was jointly set up by the Akhil Bharatiya Dharm Sangh and Gita Press, and they had given clear instructions to everyone not to use fire in any form.
"We had built around 180 cottages with utmost care. Everyone was asked not to use any form of fire. All activities involving fire were prohibited. We have put up a boundary towards the west and declared it a circulating area. From that side, some object carrying fire came towards this side, and eventually the fire spread. All our cottages were burnt. Nothing is left. By God's grace, there have been no casualties," Khemka said.
#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
On the other hand, police had said that the fire at the Gita Press tent was caused by the explosion of two cylinders, which quickly spread to nearby tents.
Amid these developments, actor and Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan took a holy dip at the Triveni Ghat in Prayagraj. Pleased with the improved condition of the Ganga river during Maha Kumbh, the BJP MP appreciated the efforts made over the years towards cleaning of Ganga. "The water of Ganga was not so clean earlier. But it looks much cleaner than it has been in 75 years. PM Modi has brought such cleanliness that even Ganga Maa is blessing him. The opposition leaders should also come here and take a bath, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi should also visit," said Ravi Kishan.
#WATCH | #MahaKumbh2025 | Prayagraj: Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan takes a holy dip at Triveni Ghat.
— ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2025
(Video source: Ravi Kishan's team) pic.twitter.com/EIc2IdNpoO
Meanwhile, the Maha Kumbh Mela continues to set new records every day as millions of devotees are congregating to experience the traditions and spirituality. Despite growing concerns after the fire that gutted tents at the Gita Press camp here, as many as 30 lakh devotees took a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam by 10am on Monday. The data on the devotee attendance was shared by the local administration.
The 45-day Maha Kumbh, which started on January 13, has so far witnessed more than eight crore people taking a holy dip in the Ganga. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath stated the turnout will be twice or thrice bigger on Mauni Amavasya and Vasant Panchami in comparision to Makar Sankranti crowd. The Shahi Snan (holy bath) on Mauni Amavasya on January 29 may witness 10 crore people at the ghats taking holy dip, the chief minister said.
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