On February 15, chaos erupted at New Delhi Railway Station as a massive stampede led to the tragic deaths of 18 people, with over 25 others injured. The incident occurred when a sudden change in platform announcements led to a rush among passengers heading to Prayagraj for the Mahakumbh pilgrimage.
Sequence of Events Leading to the Tragedy
According to eyewitness Digambar Mandal, who has been running a stall at platform numbers 14 and 15 for the past 12 years, the first special train to Prayagraj departed from platform 15 around 7 PM. Later, an announcement was made that the night-time Prayagraj special train would arrive at platform 16. However, within moments, another announcement stated that it would now arrive at platform 12. This confusion caused panic among passengers, leading them to rush towards platform 12, triggering a deadly stampede.
Overcrowding and Lack of Crowd Management
Northern Railway had introduced three special trains to manage the influx of devotees traveling to Prayagraj for the Mahakumbh. However, these special trains did not have fixed platforms. Typically, the Prayagraj Express arrives at platform 14 at 10:10 PM daily, while the Prayagraj special trains usually depart from platform 16. The absence of a fixed schedule added to the confusion on the day of the tragedy.
As people ran towards platform 12, the foot-over bridge connecting platforms 12-13 to platform 16 became overcrowded, leading to a bottleneck. Many passengers, in an attempt to escape, moved towards the stairs of platforms 14-15, exacerbating the situation. Mandal recalled witnessing at least eight dead bodies being carried away as he was closing his shop.
Blame Game Between Railway Authorities and RPF
The railway administration has attributed the tragedy to excessive crowding. A two-member committee has been set up to investigate the incident, and railway officials, including the station master and announcers on duty, have been suspended.
However, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) believes the mishap was due to operational mismanagement. An RPF officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the crowd was not unusually large, and the responsibility for platform allocation lay with the railway operations unit, which failed to provide clear and timely directions.
Eyewitness Accounts: Panic and Chaos
Many passengers at the station described the harrowing scenes. Avtar, a traveler present at the scene, said, “We didn’t realize where such a huge crowd suddenly came from. Everything happened so fast, and people got trapped. Some were crushed under others.”
When asked about security personnel’s presence during the incident, he added, “Authorities only became active after the tragedy had already unfolded.”
Another passenger, Gulluram, who arrived at the station around 9 PM, narrated his experience: “The stairs were jam-packed, and it was impossible to move. When I finally managed to reach the platform, I saw three dead bodies lying near the stairs. Platforms 14 and 15 were overcrowded, and the stampede happened between platforms 13 and 14. There was no one to control the situation.”
Fearing for his safety, Gulluram decided not to continue his journey to Prayagraj and returned home. He also noted that the police arrived only 30 to 45 minutes after the incident, by which time the bodies and injured had already been taken to the hospital and the platforms were being cleaned.
Post-Mortem Findings
The deceased were taken to Delhi’s RML Hospital for post-mortem examinations. Hospital sources revealed that most victims suffered chest and abdominal injuries, with suffocation being the primary cause of death.
Conclusion
The tragic stampede at New Delhi Railway Station highlights the urgent need for better crowd management and clearer communication from railway authorities. The lack of preparedness and inadequate response time raises serious concerns about passenger safety during high-footfall events like the Mahakumbh pilgrimage.
