Maha Kumbh special train vandalized after passengers find doors locked
What's the story
A special train service for the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj was pelted with stones at Harpalpur station around 2:00am on Tuesday.
The incident took place when passengers waiting to board found that the train doors were locked.
Videos doing rounds on social media platforms show attackers breaking windows and creating panic inside.
Reportedly, many were waiting at Harpalpur—about two hours' journey from Jhansi—to board the train.
Police action
Police intervention calms situation, train continues journey
Harpalpur police station in-charge Pushpak Sharma confirmed stones were thrown at the train on its arrival.
Railways spokesperson Manoj Singh said a crowd waiting for the train got agitated when they couldn't board it.
"They became agitated and created an uproar," he said, adding Railway police reached the spot soon, calmed people down, and sent them on their journey.
Overcrowding chaos
Overcrowded train leads to 2nd stone-throwing incident
A similar incident was witnessed at Chhattarpur station when passengers couldn't board the packed Dr. Ambedkar Nagar-Prayagraj Express.
The train was already packed, and passengers inside didn't open doors, agitating those on the platform.
Harpalpur police said 7,000-8,000 people were on the platform at the time.
Vandalism was also reported at Chhattarpur station but was quickly controlled by police intervention.
Delayed departure
Single vandal delays train departure at Chhattarpur station
Civil Lines police station in-charge Valmiki Dubey observed that only one person was spotted throwing stones at Chhattarpur, who then fled.
The incident delayed the train's departure by nearly half an hour.
Meanwhile, Singh appealed for passenger cooperation to avoid similar incidents. "We want to appeal to the passengers to cooperate to ensure a smooth journey...and to prevent a repeat of such incidents," he said.