New Delhi Station Stampede Toll Jumps To 18, Here’s Why It Happened

New Delhi: An inquiry report into the New Delhi Railway Station stampede that killed at least 18 people on Saturday night due to overcrowding has revealed that an announcement for a special train for Maha Kumbh devotees and a sudden surge in the sale of tickets to Prayagraj were responsible for the tragedy that unfolded, reports claimed.

Railway authorities were issuing approximately 1,500 general tickets every hour for Prayagraj, reported Aaj Tak. The report claimed that on Saturday night hundreds of passengers were waiting on platform 14 to board a train to Prayagraj, while a large number of travellers also gathered at the adjacent platform 13 to board the Darbhanga-bound Swatantrata Senani Express.

However, the Swatantrata Senani Express was delayed and rescheduled to depart at midnight. Thus, many passengers remained on the platform. The number of travellers started to increase on platform 14 due to the additional ticket sales. There was hardly any empty space for people to even stand on, the inquiry report stated as reported by Aaj Tak.

“Considering the increasing crowds and continuous ticket sales, at around 10 pm, the railway authorities announced a special train to Prayagraj from platform 16. Upon hearing this announcement, the passengers with general tickets, who were waiting on platform 14, rushed towards 16 by crossing the foot overbridge,” the report further states.

They crowd trampled over passengers who were sitting on the overbridge. A person also slipped and fell, leading to the stampede, Northern Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, told India Today. “At the time of the incident, the Magadh Express heading to Patna was standing on platform 14, while the Jammu-bound Uttar Sampark Kranti was on platform 15. A passenger coming from 14 to 15 slipped and fell on the stairs, and many passengers standing behind him were hit. The stampede occurred due to this. This is being investigated by a high-level committee,” he added.

Vaishnaw calls high-level meeting today

Delhi Police has also initiated a probe into the matter. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will chair a high-level meeting and review the stampede incident. on Sunday.

PM ‘distressed’, Odisha LoP reacts on social media

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “distressed” by the incident. “Distressed by the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured have a speedy recovery. The authorities are assisting all those who have been affected by this stampede,” he wrote on X.

“Deeply saddened to learn about the loss of so many lives in the stampede at #NewDelhi railway station. My thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost their loved ones. Wishing speedy recovery of those who sustained injuries,” former Odisha CM and Leader of Opposition in state Assembly, Naveen Patnaik wrote ion X.

Railway Ministry announces Rs 10 lakh compensation for next of kin of the deceased

The Railway Ministry has announced a compensation package for those affected by the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station. It will give ₹𝟏𝟎 𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝, ₹𝟐.𝟓 𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐡 to those 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 and ₹𝟏 𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐡 to 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬.

“This highlights failure of Railways and insensitivity of the government…”

“The news of several people dying and many getting injured due to the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station is extremely sad and distressing. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and hope for the speedy recovery of the injured. This incident once again highlights the failure of the Railways and the insensitivity of the government. Considering the large number of devotees going to Prayagraj, better arrangements should have been made at the station. The government and administration should ensure that no one has to lose their life due to mismanagement and negligence,” reads the translated version of Rahul Gandhi’s post on X.