Maha Kumbh Mela 2025: Pictures, Videos Of Women Bathing Surface On Internet. Why Is There No Outrage For THIS?
Disturbing reports surfaced revealing that women changing clothes after their dip in the holy waters were filmed at Maha Kumbh Mela 2025!
The Maha Kumbh, a sacred pilgrimage attracting millions, has become the latest site of digital exploitation. Recently, disturbing reports surfaced revealing that women changing clothes after their ritualistic dip in the holy waters of Sangam were secretly filmed, their images then circulated and sold online. Yet, where is the collective outrage for this blatant violation of privacy and dignity?
Women Get Recorded While Changing Clothes At Maha Kumbh
The Uttar Pradesh police have taken action, registering cases against social media accounts involved in this grotesque trade. Among them, an Instagram handle and a Telegram channel (CCTV CHANNEL 11) have been named for disseminating these images. Shockingly, entire Telegram groups have been set up to profit from such content, with titles as brazen as ‘Ganga River Open Bathing Group’ and ‘Hidden Bath Videos Group.’ The cost of accessing this depraved content reportedly ranges from Rs 1,999 to Rs 3,000.
The exploitation does not stop at Telegram. Facebook pages are actively using hashtags like mahakumbh2025 and #gangasnan to circulate these obscene videos, turning a revered religious tradition into a voyeuristic spectacle. Women, unaware of being filmed, have had their sacred experience reduced to cheap online content, manipulated and misrepresented for profit. And yet, the mainstream outrage remains surprisingly muted.
Had this been a case of an individual influencer, a controversial celebrity, or a politically charged issue, social media and news channels would have been ablaze with condemnation. But when it is about women particularly those from traditional and religious backgrounds being secretly filmed and exploited, the response is disturbingly lukewarm. Why does the violation of women’s privacy in public spaces remain a second-tier issue, only garnering sporadic attention?
The Uttar Pradesh government has intensified its crackdown, filing 10 cases against 101 social media accounts for spreading misleading or obscene content related to the Maha Kumbh. This includes a separate incident where false links were drawn between a road accident in Pakistan and a rumored stampede at the festival. However, the real concern is the ease with which women’s bodies are commodified in the digital space. Legal action is necessary, but social accountability is equally crucial.
It is time for authorities, media, and society at large to treat this issue with the seriousness it deserves. Religious gatherings should not be breeding grounds for such depravity, and women should not have to fear being recorded in moments meant for faith and self-purification. This is not just about cracking down on perpetrators; it is about changing the culture that allows such exploitation to persist in the first place.
First Published: February 20, 2025 1:19 PM
