New Delhi (India), February 16: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ajay Alok expressed deep sorrow over the tragic stampede at the New Delhi railway station, which resulted in the death of 18 people. Alok condemned the incident, calling it “sad and unfortunate.”
Alok said, “What happened in Delhi is very sad and unfortunate. Since last night, the Delhi party president, Virendra Sachdeva, has gone to the hospital and met the injured people. Efforts are being made to provide all possible help to the victims… the death of the 18 people is extremely sad.”
Alok also criticized the opposition for engaging in political blame games in the wake of the tragedy, emphasizing that now was not the time for politics. He stated, “This is not the time to do politics. Some people are spoilt by their habits… they don’t care about the death of the people but just want to point out the faults of the administration… action will definitely be taken against the people who were at fault.”
BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal also expressed his condolences, describing the incident as “extremely unfortunate.” He assured that the Railways had formed a committee to investigate the cause behind the stampede, and strict action would be taken against those responsible.
“The incident is extremely unfortunate where 18 people died. All of them were going to Maha Kumbh,” Khandelwal said. “The Railway has formed a committee to investigate the cause of the incident, and action will be taken against the accused… The Prime Minister has also taken cognizance,” he added.
The stampede took place around 10 pm on Saturday, as thousands of devotees were heading to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh 2025 festival, resulting in severe overcrowding at the station. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Railway, KPS Malhotra, the stampede occurred when a large number of passengers gathered at platform no. 14, where the Prayagraj Express was stationed. Delays in the departures of the Swatantrata Senani Express and Bhubaneswar Rajdhani caused further congestion at platforms 12, 13, and 14, leading to the tragic incident.