The sanctity of the Maha Kumbh Mela has been marred by a disturbing revelation of a gang has been exposed for secretly recording and taking pictures of women pilgrims using hidden cameras.

While thousands of devotees gather at the sacred site to take a holy dip in the Sangam, reports have emerged of a group preying on women during this spiritual event. Amid the sacred Maha Kumbh Mela, a revered religious gathering in India, authorities have taken swift action against the misuse of social media platforms to violate the privacy of women pilgrims.

The Uttar Pradesh Police announced on Wednesday that they have registered cases against two social media accounts for allegedly sharing and selling objectionable videos of women bathing at the Maha Kumbh. This action comes under the directives of Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar as part of a broader crackdown on misleading and offensive content related to the event.

According to an official police statement, social media monitoring teams identified platforms that were posting videos of women bathing and changing clothes at the Kumbh Mela, breaching their privacy and dignity. Following this discovery, cases were registered at the Kotwali Kumbh Mela police station, and legal proceedings have commenced.

On February 17, authorities lodged a case against an Instagram account accused of sharing inappropriate videos of female pilgrims. The police have requested information from Meta, the parent company of Instagram, to identify the account operator. Legal action, including potential arrest, will follow once the details are obtained.
In a separate case registered on February 19, a Telegram channel was found to be offering similar content for sale. Legal proceedings have been initiated against the channel, and investigations are ongoing.

Source / Image Credit : news24online , Business Standard