Chaos In Parliament Over Maha Kumbh Stampede, Sloganeering By Opposition

Parliament's Budget session resumed Monday morning with more chaos after opposition MPs' vociferous protests over a stampede at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj last week, in which 30 people were killed. Irate MPs shouted "Kumbh pe jawab do" as they rushed the Well of the House.

The opposition MPs - who also demanded Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath resign - have demanded a list of those killed in the stampede; they have accused the state government - which, for hours after the incident, refused to confirm fatalities - is hiding the actual number of deaths.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla called for order, and accused the opposition of not wanting the House to function. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also made an appeal to the MPs.

In a video shared by news agency ANI, Mr Birla calls out one of the protesting politicians - Pradyut Bordoloi, the Congress MP from Assam's Nowgong seat - and says, "... people sent you to Parliament to ask questions.. not break tables. If that is what you want to do, then hit it harder... break it."

The Speaker then invites Alok Sharma, a BJP MP from Madhya Pradesh to ask his question, even as the sloganeering and shouting continues; a disgruntled Mr Birla also takes off his headset.

A foreshadowing of this morning's chaos was felt last week; on Saturday too there was sloganeering and (a small amount of) disorder as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was reading out the Union Budget 2025. Akhilesh Yadav and his Samajwadi Party led that protest.

READ | Opposition MPs' Walk-Out As Nirmala Sitharaman Reads Budget

After several minutes of sloganeering, Mr Yadav led his MPs in a symbolic walk-out; they returned to their seats a short while later. Speaking to reporters before the budget presentation, Mr Yadav had said, "... there is a more important thing than a 'budget' at this time".

"... people in Maha Kumbh are still looking and searching for their relatives... many people died but the government has failed to provide the numbers of dead and those who are missing. Hindus have lost their lives... the government must wake up."

Meanwhile, the last 'holy dip', or 'amrit snan', of this Maha Kumbh took place this morning; aerial visuals shared by news agency ANI showed tens of thousands of men and women streaming towards the water, with more already on the banks or on one of dozens of boats on the water.

#WATCH | #MahaKumbh2025 | Prayagraj, UP: Flower petals being showered at Akharas and devotees at Triveni Sangam as they take part in 'Amrit Snan' on the occasion of Basant Panchami.

The last 'Amrit Snan' of Maha Kumbh 2025 is taking place today on the occasion of Basant… pic.twitter.com/9O2gLkrAaB

Vaibhav Krishna, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, in-charge for security during the Maha Kumbh, told news agency PTI additional forces had been deployed at pressure points.

"Everything is running smoothly today," he said during a pre-dawn patrol of the area.