| schema:text
| - Fact Check: Old picture from Prayagraj shared as Haridwar Kumbh Mela with Covid twist
Pictures are going viral on social media with the claim that they show massive crowds of devotees during the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela at Haridwar despite Covid-19 restrictions. India Today's AFWA probes the truth.
Listen to Story
India Today Fact Check
The picture is of the Ardh Kumbh Mela held at Prayagraj in 2019. Though the Haridwar Kumbh is also witnessing sizeable crowds, the footfall is lower due to Covid surge.
Kumbh Mela is one of the largest religious gatherings and a major pilgrimage for Hindus. This year, however, several restrictions have been introduced for the Maha Kumbh at Haridwar due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Amid this, a picture of a massive crowd along a riverbank is circulating on social media with the claim that it is the gathering of devotees at Haridwar despite Covid-19 restrictions.
Several Twitter and Facebook users have shared the picture with a sarcastic caption saying, “Covid restrictions in kumbh Mela #KumbhMela2021”. The archived version can be seen here.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AWFA) has found that the picture is of the Ardh Kumbh Mela held at Prayagraj in 2019.
AFWA probe
Using reverse image search, we found a report by “China Global Television Network” which carried the picture on January 15, 2019. The caption says, “An aerial view of the five-kilometre main bathing place at the holy Sangam in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India.”
The grand event had begun on January 15 and continued till March 4. Millions of devotees from across the globe participated in what was called the largest congregation of religious pilgrims in the world.
BBC and Jagran had also carried the same picture then.
According to reports, the ongoing Kumbh Mela at Haridwar is being held under Covid-19 norms to ensure the safety of devotees amid the pandemic. The Uttarakhand government has made it mandatory for pilgrims to carry negative RT-PCR test reports to enter the Mela.
The Haridwar Kumbh is being held from April 1-30. According to some media houses, the event witnessed a low footfall this year due to the surge in Covid cases.
Haridwar Kumbh Mela witnesses a low footfall of devotees amid a surge in COVID cases#COVID19 #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/wrGhVu67uO— DNA (@dna) April 2, 2021
Therefore, to conclude, though the ongoing Haridwar Kumbh is witnessing sizeable crowds, the picture being circulated is from the Ardh Kumbh held at Prayagraj in 2019.
(Inputs by Sonali Khatta in New Delhi)
Please share it on our at 73 7000 7000
You can also send us an email at factcheck@intoday.com
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)