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At least 15 killed in New Delhi station crush
A crush at New Delhi Railway Station has left at least 15 people dead and a further 10 injured.
Dr Ritu Saxena, deputy medical superintendent of Lok Nayak Hospital in New Delhi, confirmed the numbers to BBC Hindi after thousands of people reportedly crammed into the railway station on Saturday evening.
The Reuters news agency reported that three of the dead were children, while 10 were women.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his thoughts were “with all those who have lost their loved ones” in a post on X.
Eyewitnesses told BBC Hindi a “huge crowd” had gathered at the station, through which many people were travelling to and from the Hindu religious festival, the Kumbh Mela.
Ruby Devi said the crowd at the Indian capital’s main railway station had been so big she was unable to get inside.
Another person said police were doing their job “but the crowd became too much”.
Inside the station, according to officials, two trains had been delayed, while a third – heading to Prayagraj, where the Kumbh Mela is held – was waiting to depart.
“There were far more people than I have ever seen at this station,” Dharmendra Singh, who was hoping to travel to Prayagraj, told India’s PTI news agency.
“In front of me, six or seven women were taken away on stretchers.”
KPS Malhotra, deputy commissioner of police, said the situation had been “out of control for a brief spell of 10 to 15 minutes due to overcrowding”.
Indian Railways had initially dismissed talk of a stampede as a “rumour”, according to Reuters, but confirmed that an undisclosed number of people had been injured and taken to hospital.
The incident comes weeks after dozens were killed in a pre-dawn crush at the Kumbh Mela festival in northern India, where tens of millions of Hindus had gathered to take a dip in sacred river waters on one of the holy days of a six-week festival.
[BBC]
President Anura Kumara Disanayake stated that steps will be taken to provide the necessary facilities to eliminate organized crime and drug abuse, as well as to introduce new legislation.
The President made these remarks during a discussion held today (18) at the Presidential Secretariat with the police chiefs of the Western Province.
He emphasized that maintaining the rule of law is a key responsibility of the Police Department.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake further stated that a just society cannot be established in Sri Lanka without ensuring the supremacy of the rule of law.
Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Ananda Wijepala; Deputy Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Attorney-at-Law Sunil Watagala; Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, Ravi Seneviratne; Acting Inspector General of Police, Priyantha Weerasooriya; and several Western Province police chiefs were also present at the event.
The Aswasuma Welfare Benefit payment Scheme has been implementing from 01-07-2023 and this scheme has been finally amended by the Extra Ordinary Gazette No 2415/66 dated 21-12-2024.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the President, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, to publish the following through a Gazette Notification, amending the benefits provided under the presently empowered Aswasuma Welfare Benefit payment Scheme within the provisions allocated by the budget estimate for the year 2025.
• To extend the period of entitlement of benefits for the transitional social category included in schedule 1 of the Aswasuma Welfare Benefit payment Scheme up to 30-04-2025.
• To increase the monthly assistance payment from Rs. 7,500 to Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 5,000 provided to persons with disabilities and receiving treatment for kidney diseases and elderly persons, respectively, that are included in Schedule II of the said scheme and to
implement the said decision from April 2025.
• To extend the period of payment provided for the disable persons, kidney patients, and elderly persons given in the Schedule II, up to 31-12-2025 subject to the above proposals.
• Even though the payment of allowances under the transitional social category will be stopped after April 2025, the period of payment for disabled persons, kidney patients, and elderly persons, of these families will be extended up to 31-12-2025.
• Payment of relevant eligible persons by inclusion of newly forwarded applications of disabled and kidney patients subject to the maximum limit up to 31-12-2025.
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