“Meri ladki ke kila ghus gaya (a nail pierced my daughter’s head),” said a man, whose 7-year-old daughter was among the 18 who died during a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station late on Saturday when surging crowds scrambled to catch trains to UP’s Prayagraj to visit Maha Kumbh, the world’s largest religious gathering.
“14 number platform se neeche utare, lekin bheed dekh ke wapas aane lage, maine kaha bheed jyada hai, chalo ghar chalte hain, bachho ko leke nahi jaate, chote chote bacche hain kya karenge, sone ko bhi nahi hai (We got down from platform number 14, but seeing the crowd we started coming back. I said there is too much crowd, let’s go home, we should not take the children along, what will we do with the little ones. They don’t even have anything to sleep on,” Opil Singh, who had a confirmed ticket and was headed to Maha Kumbh with his family, told NDTV. Follow New Delhi Railway Station Stampede LIVE UPDATES here
The Kumbh Mela attracts tens of millions of devotees every 12 years to the city of Prayagraj. The rush at the train station in New Delhi appeared to break out Saturday as crowds struggled to board trains for the ongoing event, which will end on February 26.
“Jaise upar chadne lage, 6 jeena bache the, beech main meri beti phas gayi. Upar se jaise 5,000-6,000 hazaar aadmi neeche aane lage na toh log ek ke upar ek girte chale gaye, logon ko sambhalne ka mauka nahi mila. Meri ladki ke kila ghus gaya…khoon andar jam gaya, poora kala pad gaya (We started climbing up, there were just six more steps left when my daughter got stuck in the middle. Around 5,000-6,000 people began coming down from above. People started falling over each other. A nail pierced my daughter’s head,” said Mr Singh, a native of Unnao in UP, putting his finger to his head, enacting what happened, as words failed him.
Seven-year-old Riya enjoying herself at a wedding (File)
Northern Railway’s chief public relations officer (CPRO) Himanshu Upadhyay said at the time of the incident, the Patna-bound Magadh Express was standing at platform number 14 and the New Delhi-Jammu Uttar Sampark Kranti Express was stationed at platform number 15.
The stampede occurred on foot-overbridges connecting platforms 14 and 15 at New Delhi railway station when some passengers slipped while descending, causing panic and a deadly crush, a senior railway official said.
“Meri itni achhi beti thi (I had such a good daughter),” said the 35-year-old, fighting back tears. He then proceeded to show a picture of his daughter, Riya, with him on his mobile, the cracks and scratches visible on its glass screen.
The seven-year-old Riya
Asked if he received any help from the authorities, Mr Singh, who works as a labourer in Delhi, said there was just one policeman who kept blowing into his whistle.
“Beti jab mili na toh koi ambulance nahi thi, hum auto main leke bhage. Do coolie the, unhone 100, 100 rupaye madad kiya, meri jeb se mobile, paise sab nikal liye kisi ne (“When I found my daughter, there was no ambulance, we went in an auto. There were two coolies, they helped me with Rs 100 each. Someone took away my mobile and all the money from my pocket,” said Mr Singh.
As soon as the man reached the hospital, the doctors declared the girl dead on arrival.
“Aap thodi der pehle aaye hote (If only you could have come a little sooner),” Mr Singh said quoting what a doctor at the Kalawati Hospital told him.
When told that the Railways has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families who have lost a loved one, Mr Singh said, “10 lakh se meri beti toh nahi aa sakti (Rs 10 lakh won’t bring back my daughter).”