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Journalism of Courage
Pilgrims on their way to Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj to attend the Mahakumbh Mela vandalised the AC coaches of the Swatantrata Senani Express after they were unable to board the overcrowded train at Madhubani railway station in Bihar on Monday. A viral video, posted on Tuesday, shows frustrated passengers pelting stones and breaking the train’s window.
The clip shows the train’s windowpane falling on the women passengers, sparking a heated argument between those inside and the group on the railway station platform.
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Another video shows several passengers trying to open the locked doors of an AC coach. According to eyewitnesses, as reported by India Today, the AC coaches were overcrowded with devotees which prevented the doors from opening. As the crowd at the station grew larger, some passengers tried to enter through the windows, the reports said.
The ruckus continued even after the train left Madhubani station, the reports indicated. Between Madhubani and Darbhanga, the train was targeted again with devotees damaging windows from M1 to B5 and A1 on train number 12561. At Samastipur station, large crowds were seen entering the AC coaches through the shattered windows, India Today reported.
The viral videos prompted strong reactions from social media users, with one saying, “This is the height of mismanagement. Even though our people are lagging in terms of civic sense, they would not have the audacity to do such a thing. The system must work on arrangements on a war footing.”
Another commented, “Where are the railway cops? Is there any cop at the railway station?”
“Cancel all trains movement in Bihar for 10 days all these lunatics will fall in line,” a third user reacted.
Mahakumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious gathering, commenced in Prayagraj on January 13 and will conclude on February 26.
