The journey to Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj for some devotees took a scary turn when their train was pelted with stones at Madhubani railway station in Bihar.

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A group of people pelted stones and vandalised the AC coaches of the Swatantrata Senani Express, which was heading to the Maha Kumbh Mela. Reportedly, the group was unable to board the train as it was already overcrowded and resorted to breaking windows to enter forcefully, according to an India Today report.

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According to the eyewitnesses, the AC coaches of the train were packed with devotees who did not open the doors. As the station swelled with crowd, some people began attacking the train and throwing stones to break the windows.

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A video of the incident posted on social media shows people shattering a train window, causing it to fall on the passengers who were sitting inside. The passengers can be seen engaging in a heated confrontation with the group standing on the platform.

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Chaos continued for train

This incident was not the only one that the train and its passengers endured. Similar chaos erupted between Madhubani and Darbhanga, where more devotees attacked the AC coaches and damaged the windows from M1 to B5 and A1 of train number 12561, according to India Today.

The situation escalated even more at Samastipur station, where large crowds climbed into the AC coaches through broken windows. Railway police struggled to control the crowd and medical teams dispatched to treat injured passengers had to return as they were unable to reach the train. Despite the chaos at the station the train departed for Prayagraj nearly an hour late.

Also read | ‘World’s biggest traffic jam’: Pilgrims going to Maha Kumbh stuck in 300km long traffic jams

Not the first incident

A similar incident was reported on January 28 at Harpalpur and Chhatarpur railway stations in Madhya Pradesh when violence broke out as people could not board the overcrowded Maha Kumbh Special Train going to Prayagraj. 

The train travelling from Jhansi was attacked when the people waiting at the station found the doors locked.

(With inputs from agencies)