E-Paper
Women heading to Prayagraj for Kumbh claim PM Modi allowed travel without tickets
A viral video of the incident shows an official engaging with the group of women at Buxar railway station, who were waiting near the tracks.
A group of women heading to Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela left a senior railway official in Bihar stunned when they claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had allowed them to travel without tickets.
The incident took place at Buxar railway station near Bihar's border with Uttar Pradesh, according to a news agency PTI report.
A viral video of the incident shows Danapur Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Jayant Kumar engaging with the group of women, who were waiting near the tracks.
When the DRM inquired whether they had tickets, the women responded they did not. Upon asking who had given them permission to travel ticket-free, they replied, “Narendra Modi told us so.”
The DRM, visibly taken aback, calmly informed the women that no such directive had been issued by the Prime Minister or any authority. He urged them to purchase tickets, warning them they could be charged for traveling without one.
Later, speaking to reporters, the DRM explained that arrangements had been made to manage the heavy rush of pilgrims for the Maha Kumbh. However, he noted the crowd was unusually large, persisting longer than expected after the stampede at New Delhi railway station on Saturday night, which left 18 dead.
The Maha Kumbh, a major religious event, began on January 13 and will officially conclude on February 26, coinciding with the Maha Shivratri festival.
Official estimates suggest over 50 crore people have visited Prayagraj so far for a holy dip at the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati river.
