Mela cops file FIR, tighten security after social media post threatens blast at Mahakumbh
LUCKNOW: With just 12 days left for the Mahakumbh-2025 in Prayagraj, a post emerged on social media on Tuesday evening to execute a blast in mela.
Mela police registered an FIR against a man under Section 351 (2) (criminal intimidation) and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of Bharatiya Nyay Samhita (BNS) and Section 67 of the Information Technology (IT) Act with Mela Kotwali police station.
Following the incident, joint teams of Mela police and cyber sleuths started tracking the post being uploaded on social media after registering an FIR regarding the threat to Mahakumbh. The world’s biggest religious and spiritual congregation, Mahakumbh, will commence on January 13 on the banks of Sangam.
As per Senior Superintendent of Police (Kumbh Mela) Rajesh Dwivedi, a fresh look out was launched into the case after registering an FIR under appropriate sections of BNS and IT Act. The SSP added that the joint teams of mela police and cyber crime wing were tasked to track the origin of the post wherein a man named Nasar Pathan used derogatory remarks against a particular community, threatening to kill at least 1,000 devotees in Mahakumbh by triggering a blast.
Authorities claimed that Mela police were compiling all required inputs, including details of the person who allegedly uploaded the post on the social media platform.
The SSP said that the joint teams received some clues to act upon and the case would soon be cracked.
However, Mela police intensified its patrolling on the Mela campus with teams of cyber sleuths and surveillance maintaining a strict watch round the clock. Ironically, this was the second threat made to Mahakumbh within a short span of a fortnight.
Earlier, a purported video featuring threats to disrupt the key bathing dates at the upcoming Mahakumbh surfaced on social media. The voice in the video was attributed to Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The alleged threat came days after the death of three Khalistani Zindabad Force militants in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh and Punjab Police in Pilibhit.