Bandra station stampede: Viral CCTV footage shows passengers in mad scramble to board express train
Mumbai (PTI): A CCTV footage has surfaced on social media showing passengers crowding and jostling to board an unreserved express train at Bandra Terminus, which led to a stampede that left ten persons injured.
The footage, purportedly from a CCTV camera on the north end of platform no. 1 at Bandra Terminus, shows the chaos that ensued when the 22-coach unreserved Bandra-Gorakhpur Antyodaya Express arrived from the railway yard around 2.44 am on Sunday.
As a large number of passengers attempted to board the unreserved train, some lost their footing and fell, causing a stampede that left several injured.
However, the CCTV footage, which has gone viral on social media, does not show the stampede, as it may have taken place on the other end of the platform.
The WR is operating more than 130 festival special trains for various destinations, especially Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, for the upcoming Diwali and Chhath festivals.
While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's disaster management cell said ten passengers were injured in the incident in the early hours of Sunday, the Western Railway's official statement claimed only two were hurt.
In the footage, passengers with bags and belongings on their heads and shoulders are seen crowding around the train's doors. Some even carrying small drums blocked the entrance, with barely anyone getting to board the train.
It also shows passengers trying to board the train before it comes to a complete halt, while some are seen attempting to enter through an emergency exit window.
In the footage from the CCTV camera, which covered only a couple of coaches, one RPF personnel is seen trying to deal with the crowd near the second coach from the engine, but a few more personnel later arrived, pushing through the crowd to help him.
In the viral footage, no one managed to enter the packed train.
Multiple videos of the incident circulated on social media on Sunday, one of which showed an injured passenger lying in a pool of blood on the platform as others continued boarding.
Another footage showed RPF personnel rushing injured passengers to the hospital with the help of others on the platform.
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"Feast with the Kauravas, align with the Pandavas!"
The sudden defection of C. P. Yogeshwar, who previously joined the BJP through 'Operation Kamala' out of a desire for power, to the Congress has sparked discussion. Some question whether it's right for the Congress to accept Yogeshwar, who until recently endorsed the BJP’s principles. However, looking at his political journey, it becomes evident that his actions were driven by a pursuit of power rather than commitment to any ideology. His switch to the BJP was not due to loyalty to its principles, nor is his current shift to Congress a result of a newfound love for Congress's secular ideals.
It appears he sees more immediate benefits with Congress, leading to this sudden move. It wouldn’t be surprising if he later switched back to the BJP. His approach is centred around power-oriented politics, which can aptly be called opportunistic politics. Moreover, Yogeshwar has never let such considerations trouble him.
However, a lingering question remains: why are the Congress leadership turning a blind eye to their own leaders who, while in Congress, align openly with the Sangh Parivar and RSS without any shame? If this trend continues, the day isn't far when the state Congress will transform into an official political wing of the RSS. Leaders who have defected to Congress simply due to a lack of power in the BJP continue to enjoy authority within Congress, all while working for the interests of the RSS and Sangh Parivar. As a result, even with Congress in power, the government fails to curb the Sangh Parivar's unchecked actions in the state.
In coastal regions, Sangh Parivar operates fearlessly in communal provocations, as they are openly encouraged by leaders within Congress who are nurtured by RSS ideology. A prime example is in Puttur, where a Congress leader openly pledged loyalty to Sangh Parivar leaders, publicly challenging the Congress leadership. Three days have passed since the incident, yet the so-called Congress leaders have expressed no objection. Their silence indirectly supports other Congress members who seek official recognition with RSS’s allied organisations.
Once known statewide for writers like Shivaram Karanth and Molahalli Shivaraya and for its cooperative efforts, Puttur is now identified for communal incidents due to the actions of the Sangh Parivar. The reputation of not only Puttur but also the entire Dakshina Kannada district has been tarnished by the communal misdeeds of these organisations. In an example of this shift, last Wednesday, at the foundation ceremony for the new district office of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Puttur Congress MLA Ashok Kumar Rai and former MLA Shakuntala Shetty participated with great enthusiasm. At this public event, MLA Ashok Kumar Rai even bowed down to VHP leader Gopal Ji, showing reverence.
It’s not as if these Congress leaders are unaware that the VHP does not represent the entirety of Hinduism and is not a religious organisation but rather a political one masked as a religious group. The fact that it operates for certain political parties during elections is also not unknown to the Congress leaders of Puttur. Instead of spreading Hindu values and virtues, organisations like the VHP often propagate hatred against other religions under the guise of Hindu Samajotsava. Many VHP activists face criminal charges, and now, with the Congress MLA bowing down to VHP leaders, it seems the Congress itself has implicitly endorsed these criminal actions.
Through this gesture, both the current and former Congress MLAs have openly expressed to their superiors that they are unwilling to let go of RSS and Sangh Parivar ideologies. Bowing down to the Sangh Parivar’s leaders is effectively a rejection of Congress's secular values. Yet, the Congress leadership remains indifferent.
