Lucknow, Feb. 20 -- : Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has come out in support of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on her statement related to the Mahakumbh and accused the authorities of hiding the number of deaths and missing persons at the mega event.

Speaking to the media in Lucknow on Wednesday, Akhilesh Yadav said, "What Mamata Banerjee said about West Bengal is correct. People from her state have also lost their lives. A large number of people from Bengal and other states have died. FIRs are not even being registered. Why was this Mahakumbh organised?"

"Devotees have been coming for centuries, Kumbh has been going on since ancient times. Who was responsible for the arrangements for this event?... This Kumbh has ...