Stampede on footbridge at Santragachhi railway station, West Bengal
Two people were killed and 14 others, including two women were injured in a stampede evening on a foot overbridge at Santragachi railway station in West Bengal on Tuesday evening. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee confirmed the casualties and blamed negligence and callousness on the part of the railways for the incident.
"Two persons have died in a stampede at Santragachi this evening," she said.
The deceased were identified as Kamlakant Singh (32) and Taser Sardar (61).
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also ordered an administrative enquiry into the incident.
"I feel there is a gap in coordination and the Railways should look into it. They should have given some time gap between the arrival of two trains when the passengers have to change platforms," the chief minister said.
“Such situations occur due to negligence and callousness. The Railways should act in a more responsible way," Banerjee, herself a former Railway minister, said.
CM Mamata Banerjee also announced a compensation of Rs.5 lakh to families of deceased and Rs.1 lakh to families of injured.
Banerjee took to social media and expressed grief over the incident in Howrah.
“Another unfortunate incident on railways today. Sadly, too many such tragedies are happening like this even during festive season, including Amritsar. Railways are the lifeline of our nation. Safety of rail passengers must be taken care of at all times,” the chief minister tweeted.
The chief minister said the Railways did not seek any help from the state government during the festive season for crowd management. Safety and security of passengers cannot be compromised, she added.
The Railways also announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of those who died, Rs 1 lakh to each of the grievously injured and Rs 50,000 for persons who sustained minor injury.
The railways also issued helpline numbers - 032221072 (Kharagpur), 03326295561(Santragachi) for information on those injured or dead in the incident.
According to South Eastern Railway spokesman Sanjay Ghosh, 12 injured were admitted to a hospital, while three others were administered first aid at the station.
The incident occurred when an express train and two EMU locals arrived at the station at the same time at around 6 pm and passengers rushed to the platforms to board the trains, Ghosh said.
He said infrastructure was being developed and modernisation work was in progress at the station to cater to the higher number of trains and passengers at Santragachi station, which has gained importance as some express trains terminate there, to ease pressure at Howrah station.
A large number of passengers either deboarded or were waiting to board trains at the same time, leading to a rush on the foot overbridge.
Watch: 2 dead in stampede at Howrah
