New Delhi/Allahabad: Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has said "adequate arrangements" had been made at the Allahabad railway station for Kumbh travellers, but a more-than-anticipated crowd at about 7 last evening resulted in the stampede that killed 36 people. He denied reports of a footbridge railing collapse or a lathicharge by the railway police.
Mr Bansal also said that even if they run trains every 10 minute, it won't be possible to manage three crore people. "I have made it abundantly clear that the foot overbridge did no collapse. The entire Railway system of India ferries 2.3 cr people each day. Even if we have trains at 10-minute intervals at Allahabad, managing 3 cr people may not be possible," he said.
So big was the rush, Mr Bansal said, that colour-coded enclosures made especially for Kumbh mela visitors were broken. The railways has been accused of gross mismanagement. Witnesses claim that many of the deaths could have been prevented if those injured had been treated on time. The youngest victim, eight-year-old Muskaan, lay injured on the platform for over two hours, before railway officials shifted her to hospital. She died this morning.
The Railway hospital is less than 500 metres away from the station. At the station, there was only one doctor available to attend to the injured.
More than 14 hours after the stampede on the stairs of a footbridge between platforms 5 and 6, it is still not clear what caused it; some witnesses have claimed that cops using lathis or sticks to control the crowd caused panic. Mr Bansal, who will visit Allahabad, denied that the Railway Protection Force used sticks on the passengers. Akhilesh Yadav's state government has ordered an inquiry to ascertain what happened
Sunday was 'Mauni Amavasya', considered the most auspicious day of the Maha Kumbh and about three crore people were in the city. At the railway station, witnesses said there was barely place to stand as lakhs of people attempted to board trains to return home after a dip in the Ganga.
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