The Congress and the Left Front staged protests and sit-ins at various railway stations across the state today in response to the stampede at the New Delhi railway station that claimed 18 lives. To ensure that ongoing secondary school examinations were not disturbed, the demonstrators refrained from using loudspeakers and instead carried posters and placards to voice their demands.
Senior Congress leader and former Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, strongly condemned the Narendra Modi administration, accusing it of recklessly inviting innocent pilgrims to the Mahakumbh Mela at Prayagraj in UP and pushing them into peril. “The journey to and from the Kumbh has turned into a nightmare. Eighteen pilgrims lost their lives at the nation’s capital railway station, and yet the Modi administration and the railway authorities initially attempted to suppress the incident,” Chowdhury stated.
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He further criticised the government for offering compensation as a means to cover up its failures. “The compensation money ultimately comes from the pockets of the very people who lost their lives.” Highlighting the chaos at the Kumbh Mela, Chowdhury noted that elderly devotees were being forced to walk 50 kilometres to and from Prayagraj due to inadequate transport arrangements. The congestion caused by the event has also severely disrupted emergency railway services, affecting passengers across all classes, from AC First Class to Sleeper Class. “The railway administration’s negligence has led to unbearable suffering for legitimate passengers,” he added.
West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Shubhankar Sarkar announced state-wide marches and protests against the gross mismanagement at the Kumbh and the tragic deaths at New Delhi railway station. Demonstrations were held at major railway hubs, including Sealdah and Howrah, at 1 p.m, with Congress workers instructed not to obstruct rail services or use microphones to avoid inconveniencing students and the general public.
The Left Front also organised protest rallies across the state. CPM central committee member Sujan Chakraborty questioned the lack of security at a critical transport hub like New Delhi railway station. “Where was the railway police? Why was there no crowd management infrastructure in place? Instead of ensuring safety, the government kept inviting people to an unmanageable situation,” he said. Chakraborty also demanded accountability from railway officials. “Has any railway officer been suspended following the deaths? The real culprits here are the railway administration and the Modi government.”
CPI state secretary Swapan Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Uttar Pradesh government, saying, “The Yogi administration has turned the Kumbh pilgrimage into a path to the crematorium.” He further criticised Prime Minister Modi, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, and railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for their lack of accountability in the wake of the tragedy. “It is shameful that none of them have taken responsibility for this horrific incident.”
