West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday claimed that Maha Kumbh has turned into ‘Mrityu Kumbh’ in view of the recent incidents of stampede and alleged that the true death toll at the mega gathering has been suppressed.

At least 30 people died and 60 were injured in a stampede in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj last month while 18 people lost their lives in a recent stampede at the overcrowded New Delhi railway station.

“Maha Kumbh has turned into 'Mrityu Kumbh'. They (the BJP government) have hidden hundreds of bodies to bring down the toll,” Banerjee claimed while addressing the Bengal Assembly.

Banerjee termed the stampede at the Maha Kumbh “deeply heartbreaking”, and stressed the need for better planning and management at large religious gatherings to ensure public safety.

“The tragic loss of lives in such incidents highlights the importance of careful planning, especially when it comes to the safety of citizens,” she said.

The chief minister also criticised the Uttar Pradesh government for creating a hype around the Maha Kumbh “without making proper arrangements”.

“So many people died in the Maha Kumbh (stampede) incident, but they are not releasing the correct death toll. They created such a hype about the event, and yet there were no proper arrangements at the venue,” she said.

Banerjee went on to highlight the plight of Bengal residents who died in the stampede, alleging that their bodies were sent back without proper documentation, making it difficult for families to receive compensation.

“We conducted post-mortems to ensure that their families get the death certificates,” she said.

The chief minister also slammed the “VIP culture” at the Maha Kumbh.

“While I avoided the holy dip to prevent inconvenience to common people, the event saw special treatment for VIPs,” Banerjee noted.

Banerjee also pointed out that despite the stampede incident, no investigation committee has been set up by the Uttar Pradesh government, unlike in Bengal, where probe panels are constituted following such tragedies.

She also took a dig at saffron party legislators, claiming, “The BJP MLAs are afraid of facing me and that’s why they boycott the House whenever I speak.” Responding to accusations linking her to the Muslim League, Banerjee strongly condemned such remarks.

“I am accused of being a member of the Muslim League. I strongly condemn these baseless allegations,” she said.

Banerjee criticised the BJP MLAs for making "baseless remarks" against her and said she would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to complain about such claims.

Reaffirming her commitment to secularism, she added, “I believe in secularism, coexistence, and the development of all communities.” Dismissing allegations that she has links with Bangladeshi extremists, Banerjee challenged the BJP to provide evidence.

“If the BJP can prove that I have any connection with terrorists or fundamentalists from Bangladesh, I will resign,” she added.

"Freedom of speech doesn't allow them to give hate speech and divide people," Banerjee stated.

She also accused the BJP of using religion for political gains, claiming, "The BJP is using religion to serve their political interests".

Banerjee also credited her government for maintaining peace in Bengal despite the unrest in neighbouring Bangladesh.

“Despite the turmoil in Bangladesh, it is because of our government that peace and harmony have been maintained in Bengal,” she asserted.

Banerjee expressed her concerns over the "inhumane conditions" under which the deportees were sent back to India, stating that such treatment could have been avoided.

"Bringing back deportees in chains is shameful. It is a matter of great concern," Banerjee said, adding that the Union government should have arranged for its transport planes to bring the deportees, instead of subjecting them to such conditions.

While refusing to comment on national security or foreign policy issues, the chief minister remarked that the government could have ensured that citizens from Bengal were treated with dignity.

"If our people were deployed, we could have taken responsibility for bringing them back respectively," she added.

The statement comes in the wake of reports that several illegal immigrants, including those from West Bengal, were sent back from the United States under harsh conditions.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.