'Indian Railways Ignored Maha Kumbh Rush, Left Passengers Like Me Stranded'

On the same night a deadly stampede at New Delhi Railway Station claimed 18 lives, I was waiting to board a train from Old Delhi Railway Station. While I mourn these tragic deaths, I feel fortunate to have returned safely from Delhi to my home in Bihar's Jamalpur. Why do I say that? Because the Old Delhi station was likewise overcrowded and at risk of a similar disaster — one that, thankfully, did not occur.I came to Delhi on 11 February by Vikramshila Express to buy goods for my footwear shop. The train was packed with devotees heading to the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. That gave me a sense of the crowd I might encounter on my return journey on 15 February. To play safe, I arrived at the station well ahead of my train Brahmaputra Mail's scheduled departure at 11:40 pm.It was around 10 pm, and I could already sense a sea of people rushing in alongside me — and the crowd only kept growing. By the time Brahmaputra Mail arrived at platform 16, the station was flooded with people desperately trying to get inside.This train runs from Old Delhi Railway Station to Kamakhya in Assam via Prayagraj.Boarding the train was itself a challenge. The situation was so chaotic that a family, despite having booked six seats, couldn't get on the train despite their desperate attempts. The worst part is that, according to the rules, they wouldn't receive any refund from Indian Railways.I somehow managed to enter the 3AC coach, where I had been allotted a lower berth by Indian Railways at the time of booking the ticket.The irony, though, is that Indian Railways did not ensure that my allotted seat was available for me to rest during the 18-hour journey from Delhi to Jamalpur.Three more people occupied my seat, and in a compartment designed for only eight seats, at least 30 people without reservations had taken over not just the seats but also the floor. This blocked the train passage and made it difficult for passengers to move around, eat, sleep, or even use the toilet.When I asked my fellow passengers why they were so desperate to travel without a ticket, they explained that tickets were unavailable on any train — and they couldn't afford to miss the holy dip in the Maha Kumbh, which occurs once every 144 years.Deny, Deny, Deny: Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's Policy of No AccountabilityTo add to the misery of passengers like me, who were waiting for the crowd to deboard at Prayagraj, the train started running late. Prayagraj Junction, where the train was supposed to arrive at 8 am on 16 February, came nine hours late — at 5 pm. Upon arrival, chaos struck again as people began squeezing themselves out of the train, injuring each other in their panic. However, I felt a sense of relief, thinking I would finally get a chance to stretch and lie down in my seat. Until then, I had been forced to sit at the corner of my seat for 17 hours straight.'Shouted for Help, But No One Came': 18 Dead in Delhi Railway Station StampedeBut that relief was short-lived. An equal number of people immediately started boarding again, once more taking over my seat and leaving me cramped for space.The train continued to run late — and what was supposed to be an 18-hour journey for me stretched to 30 hours. I finally breathed a sigh of relief when the train arrived at Jamalpur Junction on 17 February at 5:30 am — almost 11 and a half hours behind its scheduled arrival of 6 pm on 16 February.I had booked my train ticket from Delhi exactly two months before my scheduled journey on 13 February by Vikramshila Express. However, the train was cancelled due to the Maha Kumbh rush, forcing me to rebook another ticket for 15 February under the Tatkal scheme, after paying an extra charge. Yet, despite all this, I was denied a seat.Not only did I have to endure physical and mental stress during the journey, but I also had to pay for two extra days of stay in Delhi. Who is responsible for this?Railways Profits from Cancellations While Passengers Suffer: Janab Aise Kaise?Neither did the TTE (Train Ticket Examiner) come to check anyone's ticket nor was an RPF (Railway Police Force) personnel present to manage the crowd inside the train. How was the train allowed to operate without its staff on duty?Maha Kumbh has been going on for over a month — so why has Indian Railways still not been able to manage the surge of travellers going in and out of Prayagraj? This wasn't also a sudden event. Planning and preparations had been underway for months. Yet, the railway failed to manage the crowd inside trains and regulate traffic on the rail routes, causing trains to run several hours behind schedule.Old Clip Shared as Rahul Gandhi Meeting Delhi Railway Station Stampede VictimsPremium trains like Vande Bharat are being launched one after another, but the existing railway system seems to remain crippled. Moreover, how many more lives must be lost before the Railway Ministry wakes up and fixes this broken system?In the wake of the stampede, the Union Ministry of Railways said several steps have been taken to avoid untoward incidents in future. "It has been decided that all special trains in the direction of Prayagraj will run from platform number 16 (of New Delhi Railway Station). Therefore, all the passengers wanting to go to Prayagraj shall come and go from Ajmeri Gate of New Delhi Railway Station," a press note stated.The ministry has also increased the deployment of the RPF and the Government Railway Police (GRP) at New Delhi Railway Station to assist passengers. (The Quint reached out to the office of Minister of Railways, Ashwini Vaishnav, to respond to the allegations raised in this article. The story will be updated as and when they respond.)(All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)

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'Indian Railways Ignored Maha Kumbh Rush, Left Passengers Like Me Stranded'

At least 30 people without reservations had taken over not just the seats but also the floor, recounts Kamran Huda.

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Topics: Stampede Deaths Indian Railway Kumbh