Nitish Mourns Deaths, Opposition Demands Railway Minister's Resignation

Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday expressed sorrow over the stampede at New Delhi railway station on Saturday night and announced ex-gratia payment to the nearest kin of the deceased hailing from the state.

- Subhash Pathak

PATNA: At least 18 persons are believed to have died in the incident and nearly half of the deceased are said to be hailing from Bihar.

Although details of the incident are not yet known, eyewitnesses said more than two dozen people were grievously hurt in the mayhem that broke out at the overcrowded railway station around 8 pm when thousands of devotees were heading to Prayagraj for the Mahakumbh.

In a statement, the CM expressed condolences over the casualties in the stampede at New Delhi railway station. "CM Nitish Kumar is deeply saddened by the deaths of natives from Bihar in the incident, and announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh each to the nearest kin of the deceased. The state government would provide ₹50,000 to those injured in the incident," said the statement issued by the CMO.

Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, in a post on X, said, "The incident is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. I pray to God to grant peace to the departed souls and for the speedy recovery of the injured."