Devotees risk lives while travelling to Chitrakoot for holy dip

Thousands of devotees risked their lives while travelling on the rooftop of trains and hanging from the sides of the coaches to attend a religious event in Chitrakoot district in Uttar Pradesh over the weekend.

The devotees were travelling to attend a five-day fair in Chitrakoot district.

During the fair, Hindus throng the banks of the Mandakini river to take a holy dip and float earthen lamps to attain peace.

However, thousands of pilgrims risked their lives by travelling on rooftops and on sides of trains, eager to reach the fair as special trains run by the government failed to meet the heavy rush.

"Those who are travelling on the top of trains, I think they are doing this because they are forced to do so. If they get some space, and some special trains are arranged, the crowd will be lesser and people will not be forced to travel on the rooftop of the trains," said a devotee, who managed to get some space inside a train.

An estimated 50,000 pilgrims throng Chitrakoot to attend monthly Amavysa Melas (fair to mark a new moon).

Media reports claim that despite increasing the number of trains plying to Chitrakoot, incidents of stampede-related deaths have continued to surface.