PATNA: Former Railway Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav balmed the railways responsible for the stampede at New Delhi railway station, which claimed the lives of at least 18 people, including nine from Bihar, late on Saturday.
Talking to media persons, Lalu expressed his grief over the tragic incident and held the railways responsible for the ‘mismanagement’ and negligence. “Railway minister should own the responsibility for the tragic incident,” he added.
When asked about the huge rush of passengers at the railway stations due to Mahakumbh at Prayagraj,Lalu dismissed the connection, “Kumbh ka kahan koi matlab hai. Faltu hai kumbh (Kumbh has no meaning. It is useless,” he told reporters. “The incident that took place at New Delhi railway station is very unfortunate. I express my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” he said in his condolence message to the aggrieved families.
Lalu’s son and leader of opposition in the Bihar assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav also expressed his condolence over the tragedy at the New Delhi railway station. The incident happened around 10 pm when thousands of devotees were heading to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh to have a holy dip at ‘Sangam’ (confluence of three rivers-Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati) on the occasion of Mahakumbh.
Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of the deceased hailing from the state. He also expressed his deep sorrow over the loss of lives and announced a Rs.50,000 compensation for the injured.
On Sunday, the railways formed a two-member committee comprising principal chief commercial manager Narsing Deo and principal chief security commissioner Pankaj Gangwar to probe into the stampede.