‘Railway Ministry Investigating If Conspiracy, Fake News…’: Union Minister On Delhi Stampede
As many as 18 people were killed in a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday evening.
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar on Sunday said that the Railway Ministry is investigating if there was any “conspiracy or fake news" behind the stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station, in which 18 people were killed.
He defended Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw amid calls for his resignation over the incident and said that he is “extremely capable of his position".
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“It is a very sad incident. We and our government are very sad. The Rail Ministry is investigating this incident to understand if any conspiracy or fake news was propagated that caused such an incident," Majumdar said.
His remarks came a day after 18 people, including women and children, lost their lives at the Railway Station in a stampede on Saturday evening and several people also sustained injuries.
The Indian Railways has constituted a two-member panel to probe the tragic incident. The committee comprises Northern Railway’s Principal Chief Commercial Manager (PCCM), Narsingh Deo, and Principal Chief Safety Commissioner (PCSC), Pankaj Gangwar.
The Railways said that the panel has started a high-level inquiry into the incident, as part of which, it has ordered securing all CCTV footage of the railway station.
The Railways has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased, Rs 2.5 lakh for those sustaining serious injuries, and Rs 1 lakh for minor injuries.
The Opposition demanded the resignation of Ashwini Vaishnaw, seeking accountability for the mishap.
“This incident once again highlights the failure of the Railways and the insensitivity of the government," Rahul Gandhi said.
“They are trying to deny that such an incident happened. How long will the government’s tendency of dilly-dallying and insensitivity will continue? When will the government and the Railway minister’s responsibility be fixed," AAP MP Sanjay Singh said.
(With ANI inputs)
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