Allahabad: In a major tragedy on the most auspicious day of the Maha Kumbh on Sunday, at least 37 pilgrims were killed and many were injured in a stampede at the Allahabad railway station. All injured pilgrims have been admitted in the hospital and undergoing treatment.
Authorities fear the death toll could rise further. Eyewitnesses say a police lathicharge triggered the chaos. An order has been given for inquiry on behalf of the state government and the Central government.
Below is the list of the dead people who have been identified.
"The platform was meant for passengers who had reservations and for the ladies special. But there was no room for the other crowds that started pouring in. The arrangements were in place," Allahabad railway DIG Adhiram Sharma said.
Eyewitnesses said the stampede at Platform No 6 was triggered near a foot overbridge when hundreds of passengers rushed to board a train whose arrival was being announced in a public address system. Platform No 6 was later sealed by authorities. The bodies of some of the victims shrouded in white cloth were kept at the platform for several hours.
Several eyewitnesses said there was a lathicharge by the police that compounded the panic but Divisional Railway Manager Harinder Rao claimed passengers were not baton charged and that police only attempted to regulate the movement of the crowd at the platforms by asking passengers to stand in line.
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