Shared on social media the old video of hundreds of flash floods, falsely claiming it happened during Kumbh Mela in the northern Indian city of Prayagraj. The video shows that the strong current of the river bank hit the river bank, causing people to run away. However, this statement is wrong – the video is actually from Kolkata, an Indian city in eastern India, and is available online a few months before the start of the Koum Festival.
“Kum Mela.” Hindi Languages Title of Facebook post shared on February 11, 2025.
The post also shared a video with the covered text that read “Maha Kumbh Prayagraj”.
The clip has been viewed over 6.3 million times.
Screenshot of fake posts taken on March 1, 2025
The Indian government said on February 11 that more than 450 million pilgrims participated in the festival, a six-week celebration of prayer and rituals in the northern northern city of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh (link to archive).
The festival takes place every 12 years in the Ganges, Yamuna and the fabulous Saraswati Rivers. It ends on February 26.
Videos with similar claims are shared on Instagram and Facebook.
However, since November 2024, the video is available online.
Kolkata, not prayer
Google reverse image search uses key frames to result in the original version of the video, which was posted on Instagram on October 17, 2024 (archive link).
The Kumbh Festival began on January 13, 2025 in Prayagraj, confirming that the video is available online a few months before the festival begins.
Comparison of screenshots of fake posts (L) and original video
AFP contacted user Ranjit Paswan on March 3, 2025, who confirmed that the claims related to the video were wrong. He said the video was from Kolkata, not Uttar Pradesh Pradesh Pradesh Pradesh.
He added: “I filmed this video at the Navratri Festival on the banks of the Ganges in Kolkata, West Bengal in October.”
AFP confirmed the video was taken near the Bhoothnath Temple in Kolkata, which compared it with images on Google Maps (Archive Link).
Places to see in videos shared online (L) and Google Maps
AFP has made more misunderstandings about Kumbh Mela here.
