A trip back home gone horribly wrong

Former Union Minister Ashok Pradhan,at whose servant’s quarters the family had been living for the past 13 years,said: “After shopping for their family members yesterday,they left for their village today. Now this unfortunate incident has taken Soni away.”

Almost half-an-hour after the stampede,ambulances started darting to the LN Hospital in Daryaganj. Of the 10 injured,nine were brought here,two of them dead. While a list of the injured was posted on a wall,there was no one to claim the body of a 10-year-old boy,the second victim.

Outside,relative were narrating their harrowing tales. Arvind Kumar saw his brother and sister-in-law writhing in pain after the stampede,but all he could do was wait for first-aid. “We waited for a really long time,but no one gave us any medical help,” said Arvind,who was lucky to get away with minor bruises.

His brother Ravi Kumar and sister-in-law Rekha were taking the train to Motihari. Arvind,who had accompanied them to the station,said there was chaos on the platform after the announcement. “There was so much chaos,so much pushing and shoving that it was hard to understand what was happening,” he said.

At LN Hospital,there was more chaos in store for them due to a power failure. The lifts were not working and the injured had to be carried up the stairs.

Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Jayant Sharma said all victims had minor injuries and were stable. “Thankfully,none of them has any fracture,” he said.

All the injured were discharged later in the night.

(With Radhika Jha and Tanya Jain)