New Delhi, Feb 16: As a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night claimed 18 lives, survivors of the tragic incident on Sunday recalled the horrors that unfolded before their eyes.
A daily wage labourer from Prayagraj presently living in Noida, Anirudh had been trying to book a ticket to his hometown for days. Unable to secure one due to the huge rush of people heading to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh, he opted for a general ticket.
Recalling the horrors of Saturday night, Anirudh said, “No one was walking; people were just pushing each other to move ahead. I saw women falling to the ground and others trampling over them. People didn’t even realise they were walking over human beings who were alive.”
The station was already crowded when he reached there but there was still space to sit until 9 pm, Anirudh said. However, as soon as an announcement was made – he was unsure whether it was for a train to Prayagraj or another destination – people suddenly started running.
“I saw women falling to the ground right in front of me. There was chaos, with people crying for help,” he said. A frequent traveller to Prayagraj, Anirudh described the situation as uncontrollable, with people screaming that someone was trapped underneath the crowd.
The porters and the bystanders tried to pull out those who had fallen down but the rush was so intense that little could be done, he said.
Rohit, a resident of Rohtak who was travelling to the Maha Kumbh with his mother, struggled to hold onto her hand amid the commotion, as she slipped and fell on the tracks.
“I was going to the Kumbh with my mother and sister. As our train was announced, people suddenly started running towards another platform, creating chaos. In the chaos, my mother’s hand slipped from mine and she fell onto the tracks, fracturing her arm,” he said, adding that he immediately called for an ambulance but it took almost an hour to arrive.
Another passenger Radha said she reached the railway station around 7 pm but found it difficult to get inside due to the rush.
“After some time, people started screaming in panic. I was near the gate so I rushed out. Later, I found out that a stampede had broken out,” she said.
According to sources, several injured persons were taken to the LNJP Hospital, from where some left against medical advice. (PTI)
