New Delhi:
Among those killed in a stampede at the New Delhi Railway station on Saturday evening, was Pinki Devi who had set out on a pilgrimage to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh with her family.
Pinki, a resident of Sangam Vihar, is survived by her two children — a 13-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son.
Pintu Sharma, her relative, said their group of 14 to 15 members had confirmed tickets and was moving towards the platform when the stampede broke out. Several people got trapped but no one came to rescue, Mr Sharma said.
He alleged that the stampede occurred due to the mismanagement at the railway station.
“This has happened due to the negligence at the railway station. The railway authority should have informed the passengers about train cancellations or rescheduling around three to four hours before so that there would not be a huge crowd at the station,” he said.
He further claimed that police arrived later at the scene.
Officials said the chaos occurred at platform numbers 14 and 15 due to the overwhelming number of passengers waiting to board trains for Prayagraj, where the Maha Kumbh is underway.
The death count in the overnight stampede at the station rose to 18 on Sunday with more than a dozen others injured.
The Railways has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the next in family of those killed in the stampede.
Those seriously injured will receive Rs 2.5 lakh and those with minor injuries will get 1 lakh, the Railways said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
