Former Union Railway Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav said on Sunday that due to the mismanagement of the railway, there was a stampede at the New Delhi railway station, in which at least 18 people lost their lives.
The RJD chief told ANI, “This incident is very unfortunate and I express my condolences to the victims. It is the mismanagement of the railway, due to which so many people lost their lives. The Railway Minister should take responsibility for it.”
When he was successful about the management of Mahakumbh, he said, “Where does Kumbh mean anything. Kumbh is useless.”
The stampede took place around 10 pm when thousands of devotees Mahakumbh were going to Prayagraj for the 2025 festival, causing a huge crowd at the station.
According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Railway KPS Malhotra, the incident occurred when a large number of passengers gathered at platform number 14, where Prayagraj Express was standing. In addition, the delay in the departure of the Freedom Fighter Express and Bhubaneswar capital led to more congestion on platforms 12, 13 and 14.
Describing the chaos, an eyewitness said that after the announcement of changing the platform of the train, there was a crowd from both sides, causing a stampede.
He said, “There was no one to control the crowd … It was announced that the train coming on platform number 12 will now come at platform number 16. Therefore, the crowd came from both sides and stampede. To the hospital. “
The situation worsened due to delays in the departure of trains and the sale of about 1,500 general tickets, and the crowd became excessive.
Another eyewitness described the magnitude, saying that the crowd was out of control. The administration people and even NDRF people were present there, but when the crowd exceeded the limit, it became impossible to handle them.
He said, “The crowd was out of control; people were gathered on the footover of the bridge … I did not expect such a huge crowd. I never saw such a large crowd at the railway station, not even during the festivals. The administration and here The NDRF personnel were also present there, but when the crowd exceeded the limit, it was not possible to control them. “