Train promo of 'Raees' goes horribly wrong with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's team underestimating midnight crowd of over a lakh at Vadodara station; should star-struck railway police take onus?
SRK at Mumbai Central last evening. Pic/Sameer Markande
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We have proved without doubt that Indians cannot be civil. In a tragic episode, one man died and three police personnel were injured in mob chaos at Vadodara station last night when Shah Rukh Khan arrived in the Gujarat city. A crowd of 1.5 lakh people had gathered for a glimpse of the star, who was taking the August Kranti Express from Mumbai to Delhi via Gujarat to promote 'Raees'.
During a 10-minute halt at Vadodara, the crowd went berserk, thumping on the compartment.
A medical staffer tries to resuscitate Farheed Khan Pathan
Disturbed by the events, Shah Rukh is believed to have broken down on the train while speaking to the deceased's family. A source who was travelling on the train, said, "The train stopped at platform number 6 for 10 minutes. When SRK came out of the compartment to meet his fans, the crowd went wild. They were banging on the train windows in frenzy. They were hitting each other to get to him first. When Khan's security personnel struggled to control the situation, the police jumped in, but when their appeal for calm was ignored, they had to resort to lathi charge."
Police resort to lathi charge
Minor stampede
An official from the Railway police said, "When the train started moving, people began running alongside. In the rush, one person died of breathlessness and three policemen were injured."
Local authorities have identified the deceased as Farheed Khan Pathan, a local politician.
A fan is left with a bloodied nose in the minor stampede
Pathan was at the station with his wife and daughter to meet relatives who were on their way to Hazrat Moinuddin Chisti's Dargah in Delhi. A family member said, "When the train started moving, the crowd began running. SRK was meeting Irrfan and Yusuf Pathan when the incident happened. Farheed bhai had been unwell for three months. In the commotion, he felt asphyxiated and collapsed. The police called for an ambulance, but he passed away on his way to hospital."
Khan reacts
When the star heard about the tragedy, he spoke to the family members. "At Ratlam, Pathan's family got down and was escorted in SRK's car to Baroda. The actor sent one of his trusted security personnel with the family," said the source.
Shah Rukh Khan
Besides Farheed, three railway constables, including a woman, were seriously injured in the lathi charge and left bleeding. All three are undergoing treatment at SSG Hospital. While the woman constable is recovering, one of the male constables is critical and under observation.
No security lapse
When asked if there was a security lapse, WR SP, Vadodara Sharad Singhal, said, "We did not receive any official communication from the Railway Ministry Office regarding Shah Rukh Khan arriving by train to meet his fans. We cannot be blamed for the security lapse. In fact, the film's team had taken permission to post 13 railway police constables at every station where the train halted. That's hardly enough."
Mob waits for SRK at Vadodara station
He added, "We did not expect 1.5 lakh people to turn up. We took all necessary precautions. The train usually arrives on platform number 2, which has tracks on both sides. To avoid panic, we made it halt at platform number 6, with a track on one side and a boundary wall on the other."
The official shared that since the RPF from Vapi and Surat had warned them of frenzy, they posted 80 RPF personnel instead of the usual 10. "Around 9 pm, we also closed down the ticket windows and allowed people to go in free. We are planning to set up an inquiry on whether the film's team had acquired necessary permissions."
Fans gather at Mumbai Central station to catch a glimpse of SRK
Despite the incident, massive crowds turned up at Ratlam and Kota stations where Shah Rukh's train made scheduled stops. A large number of policemen were deployed to control the fans.
(With inputs from Sonil Dedhia)
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