Bandra Terminus Stampede: On Sunday, chaos erupted at Bandra railway station in Mumbai when a stampede occurred as passengers hurried to board the Gorakhpur-bound Antyodaya Express. Hitting out at Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said, “Wish the reel minister was a rail minister for once. The incident at Bandra only reflects how incapable the current Railways Minister is.”

Reports indicate that nine people were injured during the incident, highlighting ongoing concerns about passenger safety during peak travel times.

Bandra Terminus Stampede: Political Reactions

Aaditya Thackeray seized the opportunity to criticise Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, stating, “The incident at Bandra only reflects how incapable the current Railways Minister is.” Thackeray further mocked the minister’s focus on promotional activities, suggesting, “Wish the reel minister was a rail minister for once.”

“The BJP has made Ashwini Vaishnav ji, a prabhari for BJP Maharashtra for elections, but every week there are some incidents and accidents that occur with the railways. Such a shame that our country has been forced under such incapable ministers.” Thackeray added.

Thackeray’s sentiments were echoed by MP Sanjay Raut, who accused Vaishnaw of prioritising the bullet train project over the safety of Mumbai passengers. He lamented, “Passengers in Mumbai are being ignored” amidst the ongoing railway incidents.

Bandra Terminus Stampede: Details of the Incident

The stampede took place around 2:45 AM on platform number one as passengers attempted to board the moving train, which was slowly making its way from the Bandra Terminus yard to the platform. According to the Western Railway, “During this time, some passengers on the platform attempted to board the moving train, leading to an accident where two passengers fell and got injured.”

Despite the Western Railway reporting only two injuries, local authorities, including the Mumbai disaster control cell, confirmed that nine individuals suffered injuries during the rush.

Bandra Terminus Stampede: Injuries and Ongoing Treatment

Among those injured are Shabhir Abdul Rehman (40), Parmeshwar Sukhdar Gupta (28), Ravindra Harihar Chuma (30), Ramsevak Ravindra Prasad Prajapati (29), Sanjay Tilakram Kangay (27), Divyanshu Yogendra Yadav (18), Mohammad Shareef Shaikh (25), Indrajith Sahani (19), and Noor Mohammad Shaikh (18). Reports indicate that Sahani and Noor Mohammad Sheikh are in critical condition and receiving treatment at Bhabha Hospital.

Bandra Terminus Stampede: Safety Warnings and Festival Travel

In light of the incident and the upcoming Diwali and Chhath festivals, the Western Railway is operating over 130 special trains to accommodate the surge in passenger numbers, especially towards Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

However, the railway authorities have urged travellers to adhere to safety protocols: “Passengers are advised not to board or alight from moving trains, as it is dangerous.”

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, has reportedly expressed his disappointment over the alleged ‘favouritism’ in the suggested list of Congress leaders for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024, scheduled on November 20.

Of the 85 seats that the Congress is contesting, the party has released the names of 48 candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls. Rahul Gandhi highlighted that the list of candidate names submitted in the Congress Election Committee (CEC) meeting appeared to “favour” certain Maharashtra Congress leaders, India Today reported some sources as saying.

Rahul Gandhi also questioned about the allocation of certain Congress strongholds to Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in areas such as Vidarbha and Mumbai as part of the seat-sharing agreement of the Maha Vikas Aghadi(MVA) alliance.

The MVA alliance comprises of Congress, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP), who reached a consensus of contesting 85 seats each, in the polls.

The Uddhav Sena has declared candidates for 65 seats, while Congress has named candidates for 48 seats, and the NCP has announced candidates for 45 seats.

According to the UBT’s first list, Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya Thackeray would be contesting the polls from Mumbai’s Worli. Meanwhile Kedar Dighe, the nephew of late Shiv Sena leader Anand Dighe, has been fielded from Thane’s Kopri-Panchpakhadi seat, where CM Eknath Shinde is in the fray. Other key names include Rajan Vichare who is contesting from the Thane seat, and Varun Sardesai from Bandra East.

Maharashtra Assembly Polls: Seat sharing tussle

While Congress’s Wadettiwar may have announced that ‘the problem of seat sharing has been resolved’, the tussle is still underway on 18 of the 288 seats as Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi threatened to field candidates on 25 seats if the opposition alliance failed to keep aside five seats for his party’s candidates. The Samajwadi Party is also a part of the MVA.

The results for the election to 288-member Maharashtra Assembly will be declared on November 23.