Bihar women, on way to Maha Kumbh, tell railway official, 'Modi ji allowed to travel without tickets' (WATCH)

A senior railway official in Bihar was left stunned when a group of women claimed that they had been allowed to travel without tickets by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The video of the exchange between Danapur divisional railway manager Jayant Kumar and pilgrims heading for Prayagraj's Maha Kumbh, at the Buxar railway station bordering Uttar Pradesh, has gone viral on social media.

The DRM was inspecting the station on Sunday in view of the higher-than-expected rush of pilgrims.

Upon noticing a group of women, of various age groups, standing near railway tracks, the official asked them what were they doing there. They told him that they wanted to catch a train for Prayagraj.

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"Do you have tickets, who told you that you can travel without tickets?", asked the DRM. "Narendra Modi told us so", the women said in response, evoking amusement for bystanders as the DRM also took a few seconds to regain his composure.

He told the women, "You are mistaken. Neither the prime minister nor any other authority has allowed this. If you wish to travel, you must do so after getting tickets.."

Later, talking to reporters, the DRM said, "For Maha Kumbh, we had made arrangements on a scale that we do at the time of any festive rush. This time what is unusual is that the rush has continued till a time when footfall was expected to have thinned down. Nonetheless, we are prepared."

The Maha Kumbh will officially come to a close on February 26, coinciding with the Maha Shivratri festival.

According to official estimates more than 50 crore people have visited Prayagraj so far for a holy dip in the Sangam, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical river Saraswati.

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