Maha Kumbh Mela Craze Is Real: Passengers Lock Themselves Inside Train Engine At Varanasi Station – News18

Last Updated:February 10, 2025, 19:03 IST

In a desperate attempt for seats on an already overcrowded train, passengers treated the engine cabin as a regular coach, barging into it and even locking the door from inside.

The ongoing Mahakumbh Mela 2025 is going on in full swing. This religious gathering, one of the largest in the world, has drawn massive crowds to Varanasi, overwhelming railway stations as millions of pilgrims descend upon the holy city. During this, railway stations are witnessing unprecedented passenger traffic, with long queues and delays becoming commonplace. The situation has become so dire that some passengers are creating chaos at railway stations. Well now, a startling incident has surfaced online that highlights the severe strain on the city’s transportation system during the religious gathering.

The incident, captured on camera, showed passengers at Varanasi Cantt railway station resorting to extreme measures. In a desperate attempt for seats on an already overcrowded train, they boarded and occupied the train engine. Yes, we aren’t joking.

According to a report by the Free Press Journal, this incident occurred around 2 am on Saturday, February 8. With limited space available in the train coaches, a train bound for Prayagraj was stationed at Varanasi Cantt railway station platform number 2. It was this moment when desperate passengers treated the engine cabin as a regular coach, barging into it and even locking the door from inside.

Soon after the railway officials were alerted, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) rushed to the scene. They intervened swiftly and removed around 20 men and women from the engine, explaining that occupying the locomotive posed serious risks, as it contained critical operational controls. Director Arpit Gupta stated, “The railway authorities later accommodated the stranded passengers in other compartments, ensuring their safety,” reported Jagran.

Speaking about Mahakumbh Mela, the religious gathering started on January 13 and will culminate on February 26. Since the Maha Kumbh commenced, the number of devotees who took the Holy dip at the Triveni Sangam has crossed 40 crores, while it is expected to cross 50 crores before the event concludes. This event has brought lakhs of devotees to Varanasi, creating an overwhelming rush at railway stations, temples, ghats, and pilgrimage sites.

Other than the railway stations, massive traffic snarled up to 200-300 kilometres on the roads leading to the world’s largest religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. On February 9, thousands of vehicles turned the roads leading to Maha Kumbh Mela effectively into parking lots, leaving hundreds of thousands of devotees trapped in their vehicles.

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Delhi, India, India