RPF Inquiry Report On New Delhi Rly Station Stampede ‘Wrong’ & ‘Misleading’: PIB

New Delhi: The RPF inquiry report on New Delhi railway station stampede being quoted by media outlets, is ‘wrong’ and ‘misleading’, the PBI said in a release on Tuesday.

“A two-member high-level committee has already been set up by Northern Railway to investigate the incident. More than 100 individual statements are being collected by the committee. After receiving all such statements, the committee will conduct a thorough examination, including cross-questioning to establish the exact sequence of events that led to the incident. The inquiry report will be submitted by the committee,” it said.

The release clarified that no other inquiry being conducted apart from the one by the high-level committee. “Indian Railways urge media outlets to wait for the final report of the high-level committee in this regard.  If there is any information that can help the high level committee in its inquiry process, please share it directly with the committee members at:- pccmnr25[at]gmail[dot]com and/or  pcsc@nr.railnet.gov.in,” it added.

At least 18 people, including 11 women and five children, were killed and over a dozen were injured in a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on February 14 night after a sudden surge of passengers waiting to board trains for Prayagraj to participate in the Mahakumbh.

On Monday, media outlets attributed the incident to clustering of several Prayagraj-bound or passing trains on platforms 15, 14, 13 and 12, and last-minute railway announcements that confused travellers, while quoting an inquiry report of a Railway Protection Force officer.

The report mentioned about two announcements, three minutes apart, about a Prayagraj-bound Kumbh Special train but for different platforms, while refuting the Indian Railways version of events, which claimed that there was no announcement regarding Platform 16.

After the Shiv Ganga Express departed from platform 12, a large crowd of passengers quickly gathered, resulting in overcrowding on pedestrian bridges number 2 and 3, leading to the tragic stampede, it added.