NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday accused the government of attempting to hide the truth about the deaths in the stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station that led to the death of 18 people, and said it has once again highlighted the "failure" of the railways and the "insensitivity" of the government.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said better arrangements should have been made at the station in view of the large number of devotees going to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh.
"This incident once again highlights the failure of the Railways and the insensitivity of the government. Better arrangements should have been made at the station in view of the large number of devotees going to Prayagraj," Gandhi said in a post on X.
"The government and the administration should ensure that no one has to lose their life due to mismanagement and negligence. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and hope for the speedy recovery of the injured," he added.
Condoling the death of people in the incident, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said it was extremely shameful and condemnable that the Modi government was attempting to "hide the truth" about the deaths.
In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "The news of many people dying in the stampede is extremely painful. The videos coming from the station are extremely heartbreaking. The attempt by the Narendra Modi government to hide the truth about the deaths at New Delhi Railway Station is extremely shameful and condemnable. We demand that the number of dead and injured be declared as soon as possible and the identity of the missing people should also be ensured," Kharge said while expressing condolences to the families of the dead.
He also called for better health facilities should be provided to the injured.
AICC general secretary, Organisation, K C Venugopal said the stampede is shocking and deeply tragic.
"The visuals that have come out are scary, and point to a massive calamity. I convey my deepest condolences to the families of the innocent victims and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.
"This kind of a disaster taking place in the national capital, under the direct watch of the Central Government, shows the government is utterly incompetent and is only capable of PR, not actual management," he alleged.
The government has again tried to downplay the situation, he claimed, demanding when will we know the exact figures of the dead and injured.
"Why were crowd control measures not in place? Why did the railways not run special trains when they knew this crowd was to be anticipated in light of the Mahakumbh?" Venugopal said in a post on X.
The Congress also demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, stating that he must take moral responsibility for the stampede.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said that if Vaishnaw does not resign, he should be sacked for the "mismanagement" at the railway station.
She said railway officials were well aware of the number of people entering the station, with as many as 1,500 tickets being sold every hour.
"Proper arrangements for crowd management should have been made. Unfortunately, no security forces were seen, and the crowds had to manage themselves, which led to such a tragedy," she said.
She alleged that there are two Hindustans in the country - one where "the king helps make his friends take a bath at the Kumbh while common people are dying at the railway platform."
She also pointed out the VIP culture prevalent at the Kumbh.
"We have only one and only demand from this platform. Keeping in view yesterday's incident, which was a massacre, the Railway Minister has no right to be in his position even for a minute.
"The Railway Minister must resign with immediate effect, taking moral responsibility for the incident. Else, he should be sacked in case he does not tender his resignation for the tragedy," she told reporters.
She said the Railway Minister had completely "failed" in his responsibility and was only making reels while trying to hide the deaths.
"Ashwini Vaishnaw does not have the moral responsibility to be in his chair for even a minute. He is hanging on to his chair shamelessly," she claimed.
"The Indian Railways and Indians cannot be left in the hands of such a minister. The Railway Minister cannot be a person who is busy building his image and terming the death of people as small incidents - one who, instead of offering condolences, tries to hide the deaths," the Congress leader said.
"What happened at New Delhi Railway Station last night is not an accident but a 'massacre.' Seeing the scene there, my heart was shaken," she said, adding that many devotees, full of faith and belief, came to visit the Kumbh, but no arrangements were made.
Shrinate said hearing eyewitness accounts of the incident sent a chill down her spine, mentioning that porters carried the bodies of the stampede victims.
"There was no arrangement for police administration or ambulances, and there was a pile of corpses in the hospital," she said, asking, "Who is responsible for this massacre of devotees?"
INDIA bloc ally Trinamool Congress (TMC) also echoed the Congress's sentiments, demanding the resignation of Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and accusing the Centre of trying to cover up the stampede.
(With inputs from PTI)
