Railways minister Mamata Banerjee, a perpetual “absentee minister”, on Sunday invited flak from Opposition BJP after she blamed the passengers for the stampede, which took place at the New Delhi railway station. The Congress, however, rushed to her defence, saying, can a railway minister be “held responsible” for such an incident.
In her reaction in Kolkata, Ms Banerjee said, “It is not the failure of the administration. People are responsible for such chaos. It is difficult to control such situations.”
Criticising Ms Banerjee for her “indifference and absenteeism” main Opposition BJP felt that the minister owed an explanation after such incidents. BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said, the death of innocents at Delhi railway station is “inexcusable and unpardonable”.
“Nothing better is expected from an absentee railway minister. While the system and administrative failure has led to virtual collapse of railways, the minister prefers politics to work unleashing death and misery to poor passengers,” Mr Rudy said.
The Congress, meanwhile, came to the rescue of the railway minister by describing the incident as failure of individuals, who man the administration at the station. But, no doubt the incident was “unfortunate”, it lamented.
“It is sad and unfortunate. But I want to ask the BJP what can a railway minister do in such an incident. It is up to the officials in-charge of the station and other railway officials to supervise the crowd in the rush season,” AICC spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed said.
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‘Have to see if it was sabotage’
Age Correspondent
New Delhi
A large number of those injured in the stampede at the New Delhi railway station on Sunday afternoon were people from Bihar who were on their way back home.
While the official number of people injured in the incident was nine, eyewitnesses insisted that the total number would be much more. They also claimed that besides RML and LNJP Hospitals, many of the injured had gone to private hospitals for treatment.
LNJP Hospital authorities said eight persons admitted with injuries there were in stable condition, while RML Hospital had a two-and-a-half-year-old girl who was said to be in an extremely serious condition.
Railway minister Mamata Banerjee, in addition to ex-gratia for the families of the deceased, also announced aid of Rs 50,000 for those seriously injured. “We have to ascertain whether it was an accident or a case of sabotage. A high-level committee will investigate the unfortunate incident,” Ms Banerjee said from her Kolkata residence on Sunday. She added: “If many people start running at the same time, an accident is bound to happen.”
The railway minister also said those who sustained minor injuries in the stampede would be given Rs 5,000 each. Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit expressed grief over the two deaths, and said she was constantly in touch with the hospitals where the injured had been taken.
The railway police, meanwhile, has registered a case of causing death due to negligence and causing grievous hurt by endangering life and personal safety of others.