Terming as 'unfortunate' the January 29 stampede at Maha Kumbh where at least 30 people were killed, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) for guidelines over safety of devotees and asked the petitioner to move the Allahabad high court instead.
"People were walking on the footbridge when suddenly police charged with batons. Because of that baton charge, the public panicked and the stampede happened. In that stampede these people were killed," eyewitness Amit Kumar said.
The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the stampede at Allahabad Railway Station that left 37 people dead.
Authorities continue to pass the buck and even blame pilgrims in what clearly appears to be a case of inept handling of the situation by the police and railway officials, reports Sharat Pradhan
Grief seems to be giving way to rage among survivors of the Allahabad railway station stampede as officials on Monday faced a tough time pacifying family members of those declared dead or undergoing treatment for injuries.
At least 36 people were killed and scores of others injured in a stampede late Sunday evening at the Allahabad railway station teeming with thousands of pilgrims returning after a holy dip at the Maha Kumbh.
The Bharatiya Janta Party on Thursday demanded that a sitting high court judge should probe the stampede at Allahabad railway station which killed 37 people on Sunday night.
Taking a serious note of the stampede at Allahabad railway station, Uttar Pradesh Governor B L Joshi on Monday summoned Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to take stock of the situation there.
A day after the stampede at the overcrowded Allahabad Railway Station claimed 36 lives, Railway Minister P K Bansal on Monday said it was not possible for railways to run trains every 10 minutes to clear the heavy rush of Kumbh passengers.
Bansal said: "Till now death toll has reached 36. There has been no collapse of foot-over-bridge or any railing on the station. I want to clear that stampede occurred due to people reaching in large numbers. We had made arrangements before start of the Kumbh. We have come to know that people turned in large numbers resulting in stampede."
In a major mishap, at least 24 people are feared killed after a railing of the foot-over bridge collapsed due to excessive crowds at platform no 6 in Allahabad railway station.
The Allahabad high court on Monday granted bail to Seema Azad and her husband Vishwa Vijay, both of whom were arrested and dumped in jail two years ago on the charge of being "Maoists".
A sub inspector of the Maharashtra police has been arrested for allegedly molesting a girl on board the Patna-Kurla Lokmanya Tilak Express train near Allahabad, Railway police sources said on Saturday.
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