A senior railway official in Bihar was left stunned when a group of rural women claimed that they had been allowed to travel without tickets by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The video of the conversation between Danapur Divisional Railway Manager Jayant Kumar and pilgrims heading for Prayagraj Maha Kumbh, at the Buxar railway station bordering Uttar Pradesh, has gone viral on social media.
The DRM was inspecting the station on Sunday in view of the higher-than-expected rush of pilgrims visiting the mega congregation, which has also been blamed for the stampede at New Delhi railway station.
At least 18 people died in the stampede at the packed New Delhi railway station on Saturday night.
Upon noticing a group of women, of various age groups, standing near railway tracks, the official asked them what were they doing there. They told him that they wanted to catch a train for Prayagraj.
"Do you have tickets", asked the DRM, and when the women replied in the negative, he said quizzically, "Who told you that you can travel without tickets?".
Pat came the reply "Narendra Modi told us so", evoking a grin from bystanders even as the DRM took a few seconds to regain his composure.
He told the women, "You are mistaken. Neither the prime minister nor any other authority has allowed this. If you wish to travel, you must do so after getting tickets, lest you may be charged with breaking the law."
Later, talking to reporters, the DRM said, "For Maha Kumbh, we had made arrangements on a scale that we do at the time of any festive rush. This time what is unusual is that the rush has continued till a time when footfall was expected to have thinned down. Nonetheless, we are prepared."
The Maha Kumbh will officially come to a close on February 26, coinciding with the Maha Shivratri festival.
According to official estimates more than 50 crore people have visited Prayagraj so far for a holy dip in the Sangam, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical river Saraswati.
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