New Delhi: “Heads must roll” was the message from the Opposition a day after a stampede at the New Delhi Railway station claimed 18 lives, with the Congress demanding that Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw be sacked from his post unless he tenders his resignation. The Congress, the country’s principal opposition party, labelled the incident “mass murder,” and accused Vaishnaw of resorting to a “cover-up” instead of owning up responsibility for the tragedy that shook the Capital Saturday night.
“Right now, we have one demand. Considering the fact that what happened last night was mass murder, the railways minister has no right to be in his position even for a minute. He must resign immediately taking moral responsibility, or else he must be sacked,” Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate told a press conference here. Shrinate, who is chairperson of the party’s social and digital media platforms, alleged that Vaishnaw was trying to “cover-up” and “hide” the number of casualties.
“Instead of owning up responsibility and showing sensitivity towards the victims and their families, the railways minister was resorting to a cover-up and people themselves were being blamed for the stampede,” she said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) joined in, accusing Vaishnaw of concealing the death toll. Former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia used the term “Aapda Sarkar” (disastrous government), a phrase Prime Minister Narendra Modi had used to criticize AAP during Delhi assembly elections.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh alleged the real death toll was being concealed. He pointed to discrepancies in statements by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena, who initially acknowledged the loss of lives, only to later edit his post on X, removing references to the deaths.
“This is a familiar pattern of suppression following disasters caused by the government’s failures. Instead of expressing sympathy or ensuring accountability, the response is to hide the truth. How long will this continue?” Singh remarked.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) too lashed out at Vaishnaw, saying “Modi’s part-time Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, yet again, has blood on his hands.” TMC Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale demanded that either Vaishnaw resign, or he be sacked from the Union Cabinet.
“The sacred Kumbh Mela has been turned into a PR activity by the Modi and Yogi ovt. This is the 2nd case of deaths due to Kumbh-related stampedes. Millions of people have been encouraged to rush to Prayagraj without making arrangements for logistics or their safety. Heads MUST roll! Lives of India CANNOT be treated so cheaply,” Gokhale wrote on X.
The Opposition emphasised that the tragedy could have been avoided had the authorities focused on effective crowd management. Shrinate held the railway administration responsible for the deaths. “Yesterday, 1,500 general tickets were issued every hour at New Delhi railway station. Why did the railway authorities fail to make adequate arrangements to manage the crowds? How many RPF or Delhi Police personnel were deployed, and why weren’t disaster management teams assigned?” she asked.
Singh pointed out that a similar disaster occurred in Uttar Pradesh during the Maha Kumbh in 2013, caused by a sudden platform change announcement. “Did the railway administration not foresee that such a large crowd would cause chaos if a sudden announcement about a platform change was made? And that’s exactly what happened. Yet, after such a massive tragedy, everyone is busy denying it,” Singh said.
Shrinate further alleged that as survivors recounted their tragic experiences, authorities attempted to intimidate journalists, demanding they delete recordings in a blatant attempt to ‘cover up’ the incident.
“Under the current regime, there are two types of India: one for the privileged VVIPs who enjoy special courtesies during the Kumbh, and another for the common people, who are crushed to death in such avoidable tragedies,” she remarked.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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