Stringent protocols are being enforced at key railway stations in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh following the stampede at the New Delhi railway station and the massive crowds arriving for the Maha Kumbh.
In Delhi, the police and Railway Protection Force were actively managing the crowd and assisting passengers in boarding trains at the New Delhi railway station on Sunday.
This comes a day after the stampede at the railway station in which 18 people lost their lives.
The security personnel are using loudspeakers and continuously making announcements about trains.
Senior officials of the RPF are taking rounds at the station and supervising the security measures.
Deputy commissioner of police (Railway) KPS Malhotra said that the situation is under control.
“The passengers have already boarded the special train which will leave from platform number 16. Keeping in view the heavy footfall, we have made an extra deployment for special trains as well as for the regular trains. There is rope barricading due to which no one is moving ahead and everything is under control,” Malhotra stated.
The DCP was seen taking several rounds at the station and overseeing the security measures.
In Uttar Pradesh, stringent protocols are being enforced at key railway stations such as Prayagraj, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Kanpur, Lucknow and Mirzapur.
North Central Railway's Shashikant Tripathi told PTI, "We are strictly adhering to the previously established protocols, which were successfully implemented during festivals like Mauni Amavasya and Basant Panchami."
At Prayagraj Junction, entry is restricted to the city side, and passengers are kept in a 'holding area' until their train arrives. RPF inspector Shiv Kumar said that crowd control measures are "effective".
In Varanasi, Ashok Kumar from the North Eastern Railway said the same protocols are in place at Jhunsi and Rambagh stations, where passengers are held in secure areas until their train arrives.
The security at Varanasi Junction has also been tightened after the Delhi incident.
Station Director Arpit Gupta confirmed that vehicle entry is banned around the station, barriers have been placed at key locations, and security forces monitor the crowd. "CCTV cameras track activity around the clock, and platform changes are communicated at least 90 minutes in advance to prevent stampedes," he said.
Following the Delhi stampede, heightened security measures have also been implemented at Ayodhya's railway stations.
Separate entry and exit points have been established for pilgrims, and personnel from the GRP and RPF are ensuring safety.
Over 300 staff members and 200 CCTV cameras have been deployed to handle the daily influx of around 1.5 lakh passengers.
Ayodhya RPF inspector Yashwant Singh said that the railway forces are vigilant and are using CCTV for surveillance. Special trains are running daily to manage the crowd, he added.
Lucknow joint commissioner of police Amit Verma, deputy commissioner of police Central Raveena Tyagi and Railway Director Prashant Kumar were seen at the Charbagh railway station, where they took stock of the situation and oversaw measures to improve the station's system.
Joint CP Amit Verma said, "We are here to ensure the safety and convenience of passengers. All necessary measures are being implemented to avoid overcrowding."
The police have been deployed in large numbers, and the station has been equipped with improved facilities to ensure that no untoward incident occurs in Lucknow.
In Kanpur, district magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh conducted a security review at Kanpur Central, instructing local authorities to ensure stronger safety protocols and prevent platform changes before train arrivals.
While Mirzapur has a relatively lighter crowd, additional precautions are in place to avoid overcrowding.
The East Central Railway on Sunday said adequate arrangements had been made to ensure proper management of crowds at railway stations across Bihar, which have been witnessing an 'unprecedented rush' on account of Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj.
The unprecedented Kumbh Mela rush has created havoc at several railway stations across Bihar including Patna, Danapur, Ara, Gaya, Sasaram, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, and Darbhanga, with a sudden spike in passenger footfall creating a challenge for the railways.
Talking to PTI, chief public relation officer of East Central Railway Sharswati Chandra, said, "Adequate arrangements to ensure proper management of crowds at railway stations under the jurisdiction of ECR have been made with additional staff deployed at certain railway stations for the purpose. Several Kumbh Mela special trains are already running from Patna Junction daily to handle the rush. Senior railway officials are already managing the affairs very effectively."
Senior railway officials in Patna maintained that the increase in passengers has certainly put pressure on the infrastructure and operational capacities. Strict surveillance is being maintained through CCTV cameras at the Patna and other junctions by the officials concerned, said the CPRO.
Recently railway properties were vandalised by angry passengers at Sasaram railway station. Police resorted to lathi charge also to disperse a mob of students, which had laid a siege to the Sasaram railway station on Friday.
"At least four-five individuals were arrested by security personnel at Sasaram railway station for vandalising trains travelling to Prayagraj. Damage to railway properties will not be tolerated at any cost," said the CPRO.
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