- विज्ञापन -
Patna: The Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar on Sunday expressed grief over the demise of people in an “unfortunate incident” at New Delhi Railway Station, and announced an extra-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased hailing from Bihar and Rs 50,000 for those who have sustained injuries.
In a post on X, Kumar wrote “The death of people in the unfortunate incident at New Delhi Railway Station is extremely sad. I pray to God to give the family members of the deceased the strength to bear this sorrow. In this incident, instructions have been given to provide Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia to the family members of the deceased living in Bihar and Rs 50 thousand to the injured from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. I wish the injured a speedy recovery.”
Former Union Railway Minister and RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, on Sunday, said that the Railway’s mismanagement led to the stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station that claimed the lives of at least 18 people.
“The incident is very unfortunate, and I offer my condolences to the victims. This is a mismanagement by the Railway that led to the loss of so many lives. The Railway Minister should take responsibility,” the RJD chief told reporters.
When asked about his suggestion regarding crowd management for the Maha Kumbh, he said, “Kumbh ka kahan koi matlab hai. Faaltu hai Kumbh (Kumbh has no meaning. Kumbh is useless).”
The stampede occurred around 10 pm when thousands of devotees were heading to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh, causing severe overcrowding at the station.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Railway, KPS Malhotra, the incident occurred when a large number of passengers gathered on platform no. 14, where the Prayagraj Express was stationed. Additionally, delays in the departures of the Swatantrata Senani Express and Bhubaneswar Rajdhani led to further congestion at platforms 12, 13, and 14.
Medical Superintendent of RML Hospital, Dr Ajay Shukla, said, “We received five bodies, one male aged 25 years and four females – three in their thirties and one aged 70 years… Four bodies have been handed over to their families…”
