‘Social media updates by SRK and team led to overcrowding’

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“Shah Rukh Khan and party were travelling just like any other passengers, not under any special booking as a film unit. Despite that, we had made arrangements anticipating crowds at stations along the routes. Their people kept tweeting about their progress and that caused a huge crowd to gather at Vadodara,” Western Railway Spokesman Ravindra Bhakar told The Indian Express.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has ordered a probe in the incident. Initial findings indicate that the deceased was among the fans, who tried to run along with the train when it departed. He was a heart patient. Two Government Railway Police personnel also fell unconscious in the frenzy along with the deceased. “We did not find any platform ticket or even journey ticket on the person,” said a railway official.

Around 150 security personnel were deployed at the station. August Kranti Rajdhani, the train on which they were travelling, was shifted from its usual platform for arrival at a platform with closed end to regulate access. Sale of platform tickets were also stopped 90 minutes prior to the train’s arrival.

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The Railways had allowed media interaction on the train for Shah Rukh and his team. But the size of the crowd and the frenzy at Vadodara was unanticipated, sources said. Huge crowds had gathered when the actor arrived in Delhi as well. Railway officials believe they were there at the behest of the film unit’s publicity managers.

“It is extremely unfortunate that someone has died…my prayers are with his family,” Khan said in Delhi.