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Lalu announces 2 lakh ex gratia
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav tonight reached the Divisional Railway Hospital at Mughalsarai and met those injured in the stampede .
Later, Yadav announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the family of those killed in the stampede, besides giving railway jobs to at least one of their dependents.
Terming the accident as a tragedy, he said a three-member high level committee will hold the inquest into the entire episode. |
Lucknow, October 3
As many as 13 (15 according to PTI) fasting women on their way to take a holy dip in the Ganga at Varanasi died in a stampede at the Mughalsarai railway station this afternoon. The mishap was reportedly caused due to the railways authorities changing the platform of a train at the last moment.
The melee that took place at the biggest railway junction in the country left another 40 (48 according to PTI) women and children injured. As many as 25 seriously injured were rushed to Varanasi.
It was a heart-rending sight, as slippers, bags and pieces of clothing were seen scattered all over the platform and on the rail tracks.
Chief secretary P.K. Mishra, commissioner Varanasi Zone N.R. Gokarn and other senior officers of the Northern Railway rushed to the spot. According to the Home Department sources, the Railways will conduct an inquiry into the accident.
Briefing the press, home secretary Mahesh Gupta said owing to the festival of jatiya, a large number of women observing fast for their husbands’ long life had arrived at the Mughalsarai station from various places in Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh to visit Varanasi.
According to Gupta, the mishap occurred when Gaya Passenger and Varanasi Ghazipur DMU arrived almost together at around 1.45 p.m. on platforms five and six, leading to a stampede on the overbridge. However, neither the Home Department nor the railways authorities were ready to admit that there was a confusion.
Deputy inspector-general of police, GRP, (Mughalsarai), Pramod Kumar Tiwari said most of the women died at the platform and stairs due to suffocation after the stampede. Kala also confirmed that all dead were women.
