Congress demands railway minister’s resignation over New Delhi stampede

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate alleged it was the administration’s failure that led to the stampede at the New Delhi railway station

The Congress on Sunday accused the government of gross negligence following the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday, which claimed 18 lives, and demanded the resignation or removal of Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate. (File Photo)

“The railway minister must resign with immediate effect, or he must be removed,” said Congress leader Supriya Shrinate during a press conference in Delhi.

“With a lot of faith and belief, people came to the Maha Kumbh, but it was the administration’s failure that led to this tragedy,” she said.

“Among the deceased were children aged seven, eight, twelve and fifteen. What was their fault?... Who is responsible for the massacre of these devotees?” she asked.

She said that the authorities knew the expected crowd size but failed to make adequate arrangements.

“The railways knew this many people could be expected. 1,500 general tickets were sold every hour at New Delhi station yesterday. What were the arrangements to manage the crowd? How many police personnel were there? How many RPF personnel were there?” she said.

“Were they announcing to control the crowd, or is what people are saying true—that the platform was changed at the last minute, leading to panic?” she said.

“This was your preparation? Whoever is going to the Mahakumbh is going with faith and because of the invitation from the government, but they should prepare accordingly—there is no preparation for safety, traffic, or police administration,” she added.

She further alleged that the government was trying to suppress reports of the tragedy.

“Despite so much happening, instead of taking responsibility and saying we were wrong, the public is blamed,” she said.

“There are two Indias under this government—one where VVIPs receive special treatment at the Mahakumbh and another where common people are left to be crushed... What happened on the 29th of January and yesterday makes it look like the common man’s life has no value,” she added.

There was no response from the government to Shrinate’s charges.

A high-level probe has been ordered into the stampede, which reportedly occurred after two trains to Prayagraj got cancelled, resulting in chaos on the platform.

In a statement, the railway ministry said that a sudden surge in passengers caused ‘”panic” and led to passengers fainting amid the “unprecedented rush situation.”