Stampede at New Delhi Railway Station: Death toll climbs to 18. Wrong announcements created chaos

What caused the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station?

The death toll in the overnight stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station climbed to 18 (including 9 women and 5 children) on Sunday, with a senior railway official saying the incident occurred after some passengers slipped and fell on others while coming down from a foot-over bridge. More than a dozen people were also injured in the stampede at the railway station which witnessed a surge of passengers waiting to board trains for Prayagraj — where the Maha Kumbh is underway — on platform number 14 and 15 of the station. Hospital and police officials confirmed the death toll has climbed to 18.

Northern Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Himanshu Upadhyay said that at the time of the incident, the Patna-bound Magadh Express was standing at platform number 14 and the New Delhi-Jammu Uttar Sampark Kranti Express was stationed at platform number 15. “Some people who were coming down from the foot-over bridge towards platform numbers 14 and 15 using stairs slipped and fell on others,” he said, citing the cause of the stampede.

The deceased have been identified as:

• Asha Devi (79)
• Pinky Devi (41)
• Sheela Devi (50)
• Vyom (25)
• Poonam Devi (40)
• Lalita Devi (35)
• Suruchi (11)
• Krishna Devi (40)
• Vijay Sah (15)
• Neeraj (12)
• Shanti Devi (40)
• Pooja Kumari (8)
• Sangeeta Malik (34)
• Poonam (34)
• Mamta Jha (40)
• Riya Singh (7)
• Baby Kumari (24)
• Manoj (47)

Officials said delays in train departures and the sale of 1,500 general tickets every hour may have created a chaotic situation at the New Delhi Railway station. According to them, the wrong announcement about change of platforms may also have created confusion that led to the stampede. Railways have announced a compensation of Rs.10 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed in the stampede. Those seriously injured will get Rs.2.5 lakh and those with minor injuries 1 lakh, the railway said.

Delhi Police have launched an investigation into the stampede. Railways also formed a high-power committee to investigate the reasons behind the stampede. Eyewitnesses said a huge rush at the station led to the stampede with several fainting because of suffocation. In an official statement, the deputy commissioner of police (railway) said platform number 14 was already very crowded when the Prayagraj Express train was waiting there for its departure.

The officer said Swatantra Senani Express and Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani Express were delayed and the passengers of these trains were also present on platform numbers 12, 13, and 14. One of the victims told reporters that his mother had died in the stampede. He said, “We were travelling to our home in Chhapra, Bihar, in a group, but my mother died in the chaos. People were pushing each other.”

Another family member of the deceased, a woman, collapsed in grief. One of the passengers, Dharmendra Singh, said, “I was going to Prayagraj but many trains were running late or were cancelled. The station was overcrowded. There were far more people than I have ever seen at this station. In front of me, six or seven women were taken away on stretchers.”

Another passenger, Pramod Chaurasia, said, “I had a sleeper-class ticket for Purushottam Express but even those with confirmed tickets could not board the train. One of my friends and a female passenger got stuck in the crowd. There was too much pushing and jostling. We managed to stay safe by waiting outside with our children.”

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