A sudden and massive crowd gathered at Surat's Udhna railway station on Sunday, creating chaotic and panic-like conditions. Thousands of migrant workers and passengers rushed to board trains heading towards Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
The situation worsened due to a combination of LPG crisis impact, summer holidays, and large-scale migration of workers returning home. The overcrowding became uncontrollable as people struggled to get seats in trains, leading to confusion, pushing, and overcrowding on platforms. Eventually, the situation escalated to such an extent that police had to resort to a lathicharge to control the crowd. Several videos of the incident have now gone viral on social media, showing passengers running and jumping over railings to escape the police action.
Why the Crowd Suddenly Increased at Udhna Station
According to officials, the sudden spike in passengers was due to multiple reasons. The ongoing LPG crisis in the Middle East has affected industrial work in Surat, especially the textile sector. Along with this, the summer vacation season has also started, increasing travel demand. Many migrant workers have already started leaving the city due to job uncertainty. These combined factors led to an unusual rush at the station. Authorities said that special trains were arranged to handle the crowd, but demand was far higher than expected.
Police Forced to Take Action After Crowd Breaks Discipline
Railway officials stated that the situation became uncontrollable when some passengers broke queues and tried to rush into trains. Despite repeated appeals to maintain order, the crowd continued to push forward. Railway Protection Force (RPF) and local police then used mild force to disperse the crowd and bring the situation under control. Officials confirmed that over 21,000 passengers were already transported through six special trains by afternoon, but crowd pressure remained high throughout the day.
LPG Crisis Deepens Impact on Surat's Textile Industry
The LPG shortage has also severely affected Surat's textile industry, which depends heavily on gas supply for production. Reports suggest that nearly 30% of workers, around 3 lakh people, have already left the city. Daily textile production has dropped significantly from 6.5 crore meters to 4.5 crore meters. Industry experts warn that if the gas supply situation does not improve, more workers may leave, leading to further economic losses.
Authorities Claim Situation Under Control, But Pressure Remains
Railway officials stated that they are continuously monitoring the situation and running special trains to manage the rush. However, ground reality shows that crowd pressure remains extremely high. The combination of industrial slowdown, migration, and seasonal travel has created one of the most challenging crowd management situations at Surat railway station in recent times.