Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 16: The Railway Board on Sunday announced the formation of a two-member high-level committee to investigate and determine the cause of the stampede at New Delhi railway station on Saturday night causing deaths of at least 18 people and injuries to dozens of others.
“A two-member high-level committee has been formed to investigate the matter… The situation is under control, and the passengers have been sent by special train… Train movement at the railway station is normal now,” Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information & Publicity (ED/IP), Railway Board, said.
According to Mr Kumar, the station was experiencing an unusually high volume of passengers, prompting the railways to operate four additional special trains to manage the crowd. To regain control of the situation, entry to the railway station was temporarily blocked.
“The number of passengers was relatively very high today at the New Delhi railway station, and so we ran four more special trains. We received information that a few people fainted – they have been admitted to a local hospital. We blocked entry to the railway station for a while, but the situation is under control now,” added Mr Kumar.
Officials said the stampede was caused by an unprecedented over-crowding of the railway platforms and the people jostling among themselves to board trains for Prayagraj for the on-going Maha Kumbh Mela. The incident took place around 9.55 pm, prompting an emergency response from authorities. The Ministry of Railways has ordered an inquiry into the “unfortunate” incident and formed a two-member high-level committee to investigate the matter.
Delays in train departures and the sale of around 1,500 general tickets exacerbated the situation and contributed to the over-crowding, officials said. According to the police, platforms number 13 and 14 at the New Delhi Railway station were already crowded as many people were waiting to board two trains – Swatantrata Senani and Bhubaneswar Rajdhani – which were delayed. Amid this, a special train for Maha Kumbh, the Prayagraj Express, was to leave at 10:10 pm from platform number 14.
As the time for the train to Prayagraj neared, more and more people started gathering on the platform, adding to the existing rush. During this time, more than a thousand general tickets were bought by passengers to go to Maha Kumbh, officials said.
Additionally, eyewitnesses claimed that a rumour also spread among people that the Prayagraj Express was going to arrive on a different platform. However, the railway authorities have denied it saying, “I want to inform that no train was cancelled. The platform of any train was not changed.” This led to the passengers pushing each other and rushing towards the stairs, causing a stampede.
An eyewitness, an Indian Air Force (IAF) sergeant on Sunday recounted that despite announcements and efforts to convince people to avoid gathering in large numbers, the crowd remained unmanageable. He said the administration attempted to control the crowd, but people didn’t listen.
He said, “We have a tri-service office at the railway station. While returning after my duty, I saw a huge crowd. I tried to convince people and also made announcements, appealing to people to avoid gathering on the platform in large numbers. The administration was working hard to prevent any mishap, but no one was listening. I also helped some injured people along with one of my friends.”
Another eyewitness said the crowd was beyond the manageable limit. “The crowd was beyond the limit, people were gathered at the (foot over) bridge. Such a huge crowd wasn’t expected. I have never seen such a massive crowd at the railway station, even during festivals. People from the administration and even NDRF personnel were there, but when the crowd exceeded the limit, it wasn’t possible to control them,” he said.
A man at the LNJP hospital, who lost his sister in the stampede, said, “We were 12 people going to Maha Kumbh. We hadn’t even reached the platform but were at the stairs. My family, including my sister, were stuck in the crowd. We found her after half an hour, and by the time she was dead.”
Another eyewitness said the rush came from both sides after an announcement about a train platform change, leading to the stampede. “There was no one to control the crowd… It was announced that the train coming on platform number 12 would come on platform number 16. So the crowd came from both sides and a stampede occurred. Some people were taken to the hospital,” he said.
Delays in train departures and the sale of around 1,500 general tickets exacerbated the situation and contributed to the overwhelming crowd. Among the affected passengers, Pappu, a resident of Bihar’s Patna, shared his grief: “My mother died in the stampede. We were on our way home.”
NDRF Commandant Daulat Ram Chaudhary confirmed that the situation was now under control. “The situation is under control now. The injured have been evacuated. We received information about a stampede at platform no. 14 at the station. We are carrying out the rescue operations.”
DCP Railway KPS Malhotra said while the authorities had anticipated a large crowd, the incident unfolded within moments. “We expected the crowd, but it all happened in a fraction of time, and hence this situation occurred. The fact-finding will be done by the Railways. After inquiry, we will get to know the reason behind the incident,” he said.
