The death toll in Sunday evening’s stampede at the Allahabad railway station rose to 36 Monday as 16 more people succumbed to injuries; while the Samajwadi government in UP and the Centre began a blame game.
The 36 victims include 26 women, nine men and one child. “The bodies of 20 victims have been identified, while 16 remain unidentified.
About 31 injured persons are being treated at railway hospitals, MLN Hospital and SRN Hospital,” a senior medical official said. Special trains started to reach Allahabad to clear the rush.
Railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, in Allahabad, blamed the huge rush for the stampede. On Monday evening he said a three-member inquiry panel headed by Railway Board additional member (traffic) Devi Prasad Pandey would probe the causes. He said that “prima facie” it appeared the result of people entering the station from both the city and Civil Lines sides.
The Samajwadi Party said the Centre was to blame as the station was under its control. SP leader Ram Asrey Kushwaha claimed the state’s responsibility was limited to the Mela area.
The Railways, which knew over 30 million would gather at the Mahakumbh on “Shahi Snan” days, appeared to have been caught napping. While Mr Bansal, in a callous remark, said it wasn’t possible to run a train every 10 minutes to clear the rush, officials pointed fingers at the state government for allowing the huge crowd to gather.
The role of the RPF is also under fire for its inability to manage the crowd, and for letting more people enter the already overcrowded station.