Allahabad/New Delhi/Kanpur, Feb 11: While the UP government had made elaborate arrangements to smoothly handle the over 3 crore influx of pilgrims at Kumbh Mela, by dividing the Mela grounds into different sectors, the Railway authorities were caught completely unawares.
Practically, no special arrangements were made by the Railways at the main Allahabad station to handle the pilgrims who were eager to leave by Sunday evening. The crowd at Allahabad railway station had almost swelled to a lakh.
This led to a cane charge by RPF personnel, causing the fatal stampede, and the brunt was borne mainly by women and children.
Case studies compiled by India TV's team of reporters present in Allahabad clearly show that a few RPF men were the culprits behind the stampede, who wielded their canes triggering the mishap.
