• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

Indian Railways has constituted a two-member committee to investigate the stampede at New Delhi railway station that resulted in the tragic deaths of 18 individuals. The incident occurred as large crowds gathered at the station to travel to the Mahakumbh for the holy dip. 

Chaos erupted when two trains to Prayagraj were unexpectedly cancelled, triggering a massive influx of passengers. The railway ministry stated that the sudden surge in passengers created a panic situation, leading to passengers fainting amidst the overwhelming rush.

ALSO READ: Sunita Williams Braces For Earth’s Gravity Shock As Return Date Nears: ‘Even Lifting Pencil Will Feel Like Workout’ 

People gathered at platform number 14 to board the Prayagraj Express. Meanwhile, two other trains – the Swatantrata Senani Express and the Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani – got delayed, adding to the crowd on platforms 12, 13, and 14. The overwhelming number of passengers caused the crowd to become unmanageable, leading to chaos. 

"Basically, at one point, the train was delayed, and in addition to that, there were extra tickets which people had purchased for prayagraj...We had assessed the crowd, and I’m explaining the situation in the specific time frame, which would be around a ten-minute window. The arrival of more people during this time, along with the two delays, was the main reason for the situation," said KPS Malhotra, DCP (Railways) said.  

Delhi Police said the confusion over the announcement of the trains happened because of two trains having the same initial name starting with 'Prayagraj'. The announcement of the Prayagraj Special arriving at Platform 16 led to confusion because the Prayagraj Express was already at Platform 14. People who couldn't reach their train at Platform 14 thought their train was arriving at Platform 16 leading to the stampede. Besides, there were 4 trains heading to Prayagraj, out of which 3 were delayed, causing unexpected overcrowding.

A porter, however, mentioned that the train was originally scheduled to arrive at platform 12 but was moved to platform 16, which sparked panic among passengers. As people rushed towards platform 16, they began colliding with one another and some fell onto the escalator and stairs in the chaos.

"Prayagraj Special was supposed to leave from platform number 12, but it was shifted to platform number 16. When the crowd waiting at Platform 12 and the crowd waiting outside tried to reach Platform 16, people started colliding and fell on the escalator and stairs. Several collies gathered there to stop the crowd. We took at least 15 bodies and loaded them in an Ambulance. There were only shoes and clothes on the platform," he said. 

ALSO READ: Oppn Says Govt’s Mismanagement Behind Stampede At New Delhi Railway Station, Demands Disclosure Of Victims’ Identity 

Meanwhile, Delhi Police have initiated an investigation into the incident. Authorities stated that the police are currently examining CCTV footage from the station to reconstruct the events leading to the chaos and identify the root cause of the tragic incident.