Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Sunday criticised the Railways, holding them responsible for the stampede at New Delhi railway station that claimed at least 18 lives.
"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," Lalu, a former Railway minister maintained.
When questioned about his views on crowd management for the upcoming Mahakumbh, the former Bihar CM remarked, "Kumbh ka kahan koi matlab hai. Faaltu hai kumbh (Kumbh has no meaning. Kumbh is useless)."
The stampede occurred around 10 p.m. as thousands of pilgrims travelled to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh 2025 festival, leading to severe overcrowding at the station.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Railway K.P.S. Malhotra said the incident happened when a large number of passengers gathered on platform no. 14, where the Prayagraj Express was stationed.
Delays in the departures of the Swatantrata Senani Express and Bhubaneswar Rajdhani further worsened congestion at platforms 12, 13, and 14, he added.
An eyewitness described the chaos, stating that an announcement about a platform change led to the crowd surging from both sides, triggering the stampede.
Also read: New Delhi station stampede deaths rise to 18, several injured
"There was no one to control the crowd... It was announced that the train coming on platform number 12 would now arrive on platform number 16. So, the crowd came from both sides, and a stampede occurred... Some people were taken to the hospital," he said.
The situation was exacerbated by delays in train departures and the sale of approximately 1,500 general tickets, which contributed to the overwhelming crowd.
Another eyewitness recounted the panic, stating that the authorities struggled to manage the surging crowd despite the presence of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel.
"The crowd was beyond control; people were gathered at the foot over the bridge... Such a huge crowd wasn't expected. I have never seen such a massive crowd at the railway station, even during festivals. People from the administration and even NDRF personnel were there, but when the crowd exceeded the limit, it wasn't possible to control them," the witness said.
The Railways have yet to respond to the allegations, and an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
Also read: Railways announces ₹10L payout for kins of New Delhi stampede victims
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