Unable to board train to Maha Kumbh, angry passengers attack an express in Bihar’s Madhubani station

A group of angry people trying to reach the Maha Kumbh mela attacked the Swatantrata Senani Express in Bihar’s Madhubani railway station on Monday night, pelting stones and breaking windows, because they were unable to board the train.

There are no seats available in most trains going from Bihar towards Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi and Prayagraj, with thousands of devotees desperate to reach the site of the confluence and take a holy dip before the Maha Kumbh concludes on February 26.

There was hardly any room to even stand on the platform when the Swatantrata Senani Express, headed from from Jaynagar in Bihar to New Delhi via Prayagraj, slid into the station at Madhubani. The doors of the train’s AC coaches were already locked, enraging the crowd of waiting devotees.

Locked doors

There was immediate chaos, as people rushed to board the train and find a seat. Station superintendent Rajesh Kumar later told journalists that passengers who had reserved tickets from Madhubani attempted to board, but were stymied by the passengers within who refused to open the doors or windows of their bogies. A group of angry passengers then resorted to vandalism, throwing stones at the train, and breaking the windows of coaches M1, B5, and A1. A number of passengers were also injured.

Mr. Kumar called in the Railway Protection Force (RPF), which swung into action to control the crowd. However, many passengers failed to board the train. Some of those unable to board the train sat on the track to register their protest, but were removed by the RPF. The train was delayed by an hour due to the chaos.

The unruly behaviour continued even after the train’s departure from Madhubani. The RPF later arrested two passengers who were allegedly responsible for creating the ruckus at the station.

Video clips of angry passengers breaking the windows of the train have gone viral on social media. On Tuesday as well, a large crowd was seen at Patna junction waiting to board the train for Prayagraj. All the coaches of the Patna-Prayagraj Kumbh Special Train were filled, and people were even found seated near the toilets.