Kumbh Mela lies, Rs 112 cr embezzled, and a mother’s tears I can't forget

The UP government's callous lies about the Kumbh Mela death toll. A mother's grief over losing two children in the Air India crash in Gujarat. Crores of taxpayer money squandered on media ads and influencers. And corruption entrenched at the highest levels of the bureaucracy. 

As the year draws to a close, I'm left with memories – some painful, some beautiful – of stories in 2025 that don't let you look the other way. 

Take the Kumbh Mela story. 

On January 29, a stampede broke out as a large crowd gathered for the holy bath in Prayagraj during the Kumbh Mela. When I reached Prayagraj, the first few days were shrouded in darkness. There seemed to be no way of obtaining the actual death toll other than the official count. I spent countless hours circling the morgue and hospitals, trying to gather information. 

Then, one evening, I met a man. He said that even if he gave me the correct death toll, I wouldn't be able to report it. I replied, with a weary voice, “I'm a reporter for Newslaundry. If you give me the evidence, I'll take responsibility for the story.”

After perusing the records he gave me, I found that many of the deceased listed in them were people whose families I had met outside the morgue. The records included the names of the deceased, along with a number to identify each body. After carefully examining them, I presented these figures to the public in an exclusive story.

Hospital and police records indicate that at least 79 people died in the Kumbh stampede, but the local administration said nothing further after announcing a death toll of 30. Did you know that they still haven’t released the correct death toll? Besides, the report of the three-member committee formed to investigate the tragedy has also not yet been released.

My year began with documenting death tolls – a tragedy in itself. But who knew that in the coming months, India would witness another major tragedy?

What I saw and heard while reporting during COVID-19 still brings tears to my eyes. But what I saw in the aftermath of the Air India crash in Gujarat in June haunts me still. 

On the afternoon of June 15, as I stood outside the Thaltej Crematorium in Ahmedabad, two ambulances arrived, carrying the remains of the deceased in closed coffins, including those of two brothers – 25-year-old Shubh and 23-year-old Shagun Modi. They were travelling to London to meet their friends, with return tickets booked for June 23 – a flight they would never take.

Just before the last rites, their mother first shook Shubh's coffin and said, "Wake up, son! How long will you sleep?" Then she went to Shagun's coffin and said the same. As a reporter with a decade of experience, I've become desensitised to certain visuals. But the sight of a mother crying out for her sons to wake up was something I couldn't bear. 

Overwhelmed, I put my phone and diary in my pocket, went outside, and cried uncontrollably. As I cried, I could see the smoke rising from the crematorium's chimney – a family's happiness turning to smoke and drifting away. Even today, when I think of their mother, my eyes well up.

Uncovering the reckless waste of taxpayer money

As the year passed, I wrote stories that uncovered how our governments recklessly squander public money. In a state like Uttarakhand, where people have to take to the streets for basic healthcare, where exam paper leaks have become routine, and where entire villages have been emptied by migration, I reported that the BJP government spent more than Rs 1,000 crore on advertisements in five years to burnish the image of their party’s politicians.

It’s acceptable for our government to inform the public about schemes for the general public through advertisements. What’s unacceptable is what the BJP government did in Uttarakhand. For example, they squandered nearly Rs 50 lakh on sending messages to people’s mobile phones about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the holy town of Kedarnath.  

It’s worth noting that beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (the Centre’s affordable housing scheme) in the hilly regions of the state receive only Rs 1.25 lakh to build a house. In comparison, the money spent on sending messages on the Prime Minister's visit could have built at least 38 homes. The State government also gave advertisements worth crores of rupees to newspapers, TV channels, and magazines in this manner.

This model isn't limited to Uttarakhand. The Centre is also wasting taxpayer money on propaganda in a similar way. Days before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Doordarshan premiered India in Motion – a documentary series showcasing the Modi government’s achievements in building roads, railways, and aviation infrastructure, funded by three ministries. The government spent Rs 6 crore on three 22-minute documentaries featuring Kamya Jani of Curly Tales, while disregarding contract violations and its own financial conduct rules. 

You can read my report on how Prasar Bharati capitulated to a private influencer here.

Exposing corruption and highlighting other stories

As we entered the final month of 2025, I came across a breathtaking case of alleged corruption at the highest echelons of the bureaucracy. In Uttar Pradesh, I exposed a whole network of government officials and middlemen that had embezzled at least Rs 112 crore, according to the income tax investigators. The striking thing is that the Income Tax Department uncovered this entire kickback network in 2022, but its confidential report was quietly hidden until Newslaundry accessed it.  

If you want to know more about this, you can read my report.

Besides all this, I covered multiple stories during the Bihar elections, especially the pivotal role women played in the campaign, and made a documentary on how a Gujarat state law compels Muslims to live in ghettos. And all of this reporting was possible thanks to our subscribers. After all, Newslaundry does not accept advertising from any government or corporation. 

As a reporter, the advantage of working for such a publication is that you don't have to succumb to any undue pressure to pursue a legitimate story. My media colleagues often tell me how their stories keep dying on the editor's desk because of pressure from advertisers. 

Believe me, media freedom is under threat. At Newslaundry, we cherish this freedom. And only your support can preserve it. So, this New Year, resolve to support independent media.

May the New Year bring you and your family many happy memories! 

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