Category: India

Patna: The Archaeological Survey of India’s Patna Circle wants to dig at Kurkihar village in Bihar’s Gaya district to find hidden treasures and learn about the area’s history. Kurkihar is located about 5 km northeast of Wazirganj and 27 km east of Gaya. It is thought to have been an ancient city and a Buddhist monastery.

In the past, a famous archaeologist named Alexander Cunningham visited Kurkihar in the 1800s. He found many Buddhist sculptures and votive stupas (small shrines). Cunningham, who explored many historical sites like Sarnath and Sanchi, was the first director of the Archaeological Survey of India.

Sujeet Nayan, the Superintending Archaeologist for the Patna Circle, confirmed they are seeking permission to start digging at Kurkihar. Other archaeologists have also noted the site’s importance over the years. According to Nayan, Kurkihar has a large mound of bricks and remains of a significant monastery that is about 25 feet tall.

In 1930, a historian named K P Jayaswal discovered about 226 bronze sculptures in Kurkihar, which ended up in museums, including Patna Museum. The area holds valuable historical treasures that need proper exploration. Some stone statues from the Pala period have also been found, and some are still worshipped at a local temple.

Additionally, there are many inscriptions on the bronze sculptures related to rulers of the Pala dynasty that ruled from the 9th Century to 1074 AD. One inscription mentions a popular monastery called Apanaka that attracted visitors from far-off places. Nayan believes there is much more to uncover at Kurkihar.

A plane that brought back eight people from Gujarat, who were deported from the US for staying there illegally, landed at Ahmedabad airport on Sunday morning. The flight arrived from Amritsar at 11 am. After they landed, police helped take these deportees to their homes in Gujarat. Among them was a woman and a child.

These eight people were part of a larger group of 116 Indians who were sent back to India on a US military plane that had landed in Amritsar the night before. Out of the eight deportees, three were from Gandhinagar and one was from Ahmedabad. They are from the second group of Indians who have been sent home after former President Donald Trump started a crackdown on illegal immigrants.

In a previous incident on February 5, another US military plane brought 104 illegal immigrants to Amritsar, which sparked criticism from many people. Among those were 33 individuals from Gujarat. A third plane carrying 157 more deportees was also expected to arrive in Amritsar on Sunday.

Former Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel expressed sympathy for the deported Gujaratis, stating that many of them went to find jobs or careers, and they should not be seen as criminals.

A serious stampede happened at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night, killing 15 people. Thousands of people were trying to catch trains to the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, which caused the crowd to get extremely big and unmanageable.

An Indian Air Force sergeant named Ajit, who witnesses the chaos, shared how officials tried to ask people to avoid gathering in large numbers, but nobody listened. He said there was a massive crowd and he couldn’t even get through the station after his duty. He and a friend helped some injured people during the stampede.

Another person who saw it happen described how the crowd became uncontrollable. He mentioned that there were people from the administration and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) trying to help, but when the crowd got too big, it was impossible to manage.

One victim’s brother, Sanjay, shared his heartbreak, saying, “We were 12 people going to Mahakumbh. My family was stuck in the crowd, and we found my sister half an hour later—she had died.”

The confusion started when an announcement said a train was moved to a different platform. This caused people to rush from both sides, leading to the stampede.

Delays with train departures and the sale of many general tickets made the situation worse. Pappu, a passenger from Patna, said, “My mother died in the stampede. We were going home.”

NDRF officer Daulat Ram Chaudhary confirmed the situation was now under control, and they were rescuing people.

DCP Railway KPS Malhotra said the officials expected a large crowd, but the chaos happened very suddenly. An investigation has been started by the Railway Board to find out what went wrong.

The situation improved, and the Railway Board said two experts are looking into the incident. They even arranged for extra trains to help manage the crowd.

Entry to the railway station was stopped for a short time to regain control. Although it was chaotic, DCP Malhotra stated that everything is normal now, and special trains were provided to help passengers.

New Delhi: A sad incident happened on Saturday at the New Delhi Railway Station when a stampede occurred, leading to the death of 18 people and many injuries. The chaos started at platform number 14, where a lot of people gathered to catch three trains heading to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh festival.

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared their thoughts on social media, expressing deep sorrow for the lost lives and sending prayers for the injured. Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition, criticized the government for not managing the crowd properly. He stated that better arrangements should have been made since many people were traveling for the festival and that no one should have lost their life because of poor planning.

Reports say that the stampede happened because staircases leading to platforms 14 and 15 were blocked by railway officials to manage the crowd. Unfortunately, as trains were delayed, more passengers pushed towards the blocked staircases, leading to the stampede.

Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnav announced that an investigation into the tragic event has been ordered, expressing sorrow for those affected. Delhi’s Chief Minister Atishi also visited victims in the hospital and offered condolences to the families.

Local leaders, including AAP head Arvind Kejriwal, called the situation tragic and shared their hopes for peace for those who lost loved ones. Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia described the incident as a result of administrative negligence, questioning how the public keeps suffering from such failures.

A tragic stampede at New Delhi Railway Station happened late Saturday night, resulting in the deaths of at least 18 people. Thousands of people were trying to catch trains to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh festival. The chaos started around 10 pm when the crowd became too large to manage.

Eyewitnesses described the scene as frightening. Ajit, a sergeant in the Indian Air Force, recounted, “I was coming back from my duty, and the crowd was enormous. I tried to get people to move away from the platform, but no one listened.” Ajit and a friend helped several injured people.

The crowd was larger than the station could handle, one witness said, “It felt like a disaster waiting to happen. There were so many people that it was impossible to control them.”

Among the victims was Sanjay, who lost his sister in the stampede. “We were a group of 12 family members. We were still on the stairs when everything happened. We found her half an hour later, but by then it was too late,” he recalled, filled with sorrow.

The situation worsened when an announcement changed where one train would arrive, causing more people to rush to the platform. “No one was controlling the crowd,” another witness said. “When the announcer said the train would come on a different platform, everyone pushed to get there, and a stampede broke out.”

The station was also overcrowded because about 1,500 general tickets were being sold, and there were delays in trains. Pappu, a man from Patna, lost his mother in the panic. “She didn’t make it. We were just trying to go home,” he said, his voice shaking with sadness.

After the incident, Daulat Ram Chaudhary from the National Disaster Response Force said, “The situation is now under control. We have rescued the injured.” The authorities had anticipated a large crowd but were surprised by how quickly things got out of hand. KPS Malhotra, the Deputy Commissioner of Police Railway, said, “We thought we could manage the crowd, but it happened so fast. We will investigate what went wrong.”

On Sunday, the Railway Board created a special team to look into what led to the stampede. Dilip Kumar, a member of the Board, confirmed train services had resumed. “We have controlled the situation and even added four special trains to help with the crowd. Some people fainted and were taken to nearby hospitals,” he explained.