Raut Claims 120–150 People Died in Delhi Stampede
“The government is falsely claiming that only 18 lives were lost in the rush to board a train bound for Prayagraj where the Mahakumbh is underway.
Mumbai: Senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday accused the BJP government of hiding the stampede death figures at the New Delhi railway station, claiming at least 120 people were killed on Saturday night. He also claimed that more than 7,000 people have gone missing at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj.
“The government is falsely claiming that only 18 lives were lost in the rush to board a train bound for Prayagraj where the Mahakumbh is underway. According to information I have, 120 to 150 people have died in the stampede,” Raut said.
He alleged that the government was hiding the number of deaths in the Delhi accident. “The Railway Minister was not ready to tell. But the number (of deaths) came to light after a railway official in Delhi suddenly spoke,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.
According to state officials, at least 18 people were killed and more than a dozen injured in a stampede that broke out late Saturday night at the New Delhi Railway Station. The stampede was preceded by a swell in crowd of passengers waiting to board trains for Prayagraj on platform number 12 and 14 of the station.
Raut said that New Delhi Railway Station was witnessing heavy rush for the last four days as devotees arrived in large numbers to go to Prayagraj. People from Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh were arriving in large numbers for the Kumbhmela. “There is no control over the crowd. Passengers are seen breaking the windows of the train. People are breaking the doors and entering, the crowd has become so chaotic,” he added.
The Sena (UBT) leader also accused the BJP of making Mahakumbh a ‘party event.’ “The BJP is inviting people to go to the Mahakumbh as it is a party function. People are being misled by claiming that everything including trains, food and accommodation was made available. But the Yogi government has failed in making the arrangements, Raut alleged.
He also alleged that 7,000 people had gone missing in Prayagraj during the Mahakumbh. “Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was saying that 50 crore people came to the Kumbh Mela. But how many died? When will the figure be announced? How many people died in the stampede in Prayagraj? Seven thousand people have gone missing in the Kumbh Mela. Where have these seven thousand people gone? Either these people died in the stampede or have gone missing,” he said.
