New Delhi: The Indian Railways conducted autopsies of the victims of Saturday’s stampede at three city hospitals overnight and disbursed ex-gratia relief in cash to the bereaved families and injured passengers. According to officials, ₹10 lakh was handed over in cash to the kin of each deceased at the mortuaries, while three seriously injured victims received ₹2.5 lakh each and 12 others were given ₹1 lakh each.
“All the compensation was given in cash to the near relatives of the victims by Northern Railways. The distribution took place from morning till 8 PM,” said Dilip Kumar, Executive Director (Information & Publicity), Railway Board.
As per a Ministry of Railways press release from September 22, 2023, a maximum of ₹50,000 is to be paid in cash as immediate relief, with the remaining amount transferred through bank accounts. However, in this case, the entire compensation was disbursed in cash, an unusual move according to officials.
A retired legal officer, formerly part of a claims commission, noted that compensation is typically released after thorough verification, which usually takes months. “Although not illegal, immediate cash disbursal on such a scale is rare. The funds likely came from the railway department’s contingency budget and may face scrutiny during audits,” he said.
Families of the victims confirmed that a three-member team from the Railways met them at the mortuaries around 4:30 AM, completed identification formalities, and handed over the ex-gratia amount along with the bodies. Security personnel were deployed to escort them home, ensuring the safety of the large cash amounts.
Among the deceased was 19-year-old Baby Kumari from Bihar, who had recently cleared her Class 12 exams and had come to Delhi in search of a job. Her father, Prabhu Sah, received the compensation and was accompanied by an RPF official as he took his daughter's body back to Motihari, Bihar.
Similarly, Neeraj Kumar, a 12-year-old from Vaishali, Bihar, died in the stampede while on his way to the Maha Kumbh with his relatives. His uncle, Amarjeet Paswan, who was also injured, said he was given ₹10 lakh in cash after confirming his nephew’s identity with online documents.
The incident has raised questions over the Railway authorities’ decision to bypass standard protocols for compensation disbursal. However, officials defended the move as an attempt to provide immediate relief to grieving families.
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Mumbai (PTI): Two persons were killed, and as many others sustained injuries in a landslide amid heavy rains in the eastern suburb of Vikhroli here on Saturday, civic officials said.
The incident took place around 2.39 am at Varsha Nagar in Vikhroli Parksite, which falls under the collector's jurisdiction, they said.
Soil and stones from a nearby hillock collapsed on a hut, injuring four persons, an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
He said the victims, who belong to one family, were rushed to civic-run Rajawadi Hospital, where doctors declared two of them dead.
Emergency response teams, including personnel from the fire brigade, local police, and civic staff, were immediately mobilised to the site, the official said.
Shalu Mishra (19) and Suresh Mishra (50) died in the incident, while two others, Aarti Mishra (45) and Ruturaj Mishra (20), sustained injuries and their condition is said to be stable, he said.
He added that other residents of the area have been shifted to safer locations.