A tragic stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night resulted in the loss of around 15 lives and left several others injured. In response, the Railway Board has initiated a high-level investigation to determine the cause of the incident and prevent future occurrences.
Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information & Publicity at the Railway Board, announced on Sunday that a two-member committee had been formed to probe the matter.
“A two-member high-level committee has been formed to investigate the matter,” said Dilip Kumar.
Kumar assured that the situation at the station is now under control, with passengers being accommodated on special trains, and normal train operations have resumed.
“The situation is under control, and the passengers have been sent by special train… Train movement at the railway station is normal now,” he added.
According to Kumar, an unexpectedly large volume of passengers at the station prompted railway authorities to run four additional special trains to manage the crowd. However, the sheer number of passengers created a chaotic situation, with reports of people fainting and being hospitalized. As a temporary measure, entry to the station was briefly restricted.
“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 Kumar.
Following the incident, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw ordered a high-level inquiry to determine the circumstances that led to the stampede-like situation and identify preventive measures.
“A high-level inquiry has been ordered by the Railways on the unfortunate incident,” stated the Ministry of Railways.
The stampede occurred around 10 pm at platforms 13 and 14 due to an unexpected surge of passengers. As the crowd intensified, some passengers fainted, leading to panic and rumors of a stampede.
“An unprecedented rush situation developed today at about 10 pm in New Delhi railway station near platforms 13 & 14. Some of the passengers present there on the platforms fainted due to this sudden rush further leading to the rumours of stampede-like situation. This led to the spread of panic,” according to the Ministry of Railways.
Northern Railways swiftly responded by running four special trains to ease congestion. Meanwhile, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Delhi Police provided medical assistance, ensuring that injured passengers received treatment at nearby hospitals.
“The situation was later controlled by easing the rush situation. Northern Railways immediately ran four special trains to evacuate the unprecedented sudden rush. Now rush has been reduced. In the meanwhile, the fainted & injured passengers have been taken to nearby hospitals by RPF & Delhi Police,” said the Ministry of Railways.
Senior officials, including Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar and Director General of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), visited the station to assess the situation.
DCP Railways KPS Malhotra stated that while authorities anticipated a large crowd, the sudden surge led to chaos.
“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.
Malhotra further explained that the rush intensified within 15-20 minutes after the announcement of a special train, prompting a massive scramble by passengers.
“Two trains were delayed, and due to the increased footfall, the crowd grew massive. A few people sustained injuries. As of now, the situation is under control,” he added.
Reports indicate that the incident took place as a massive crowd gathered at platform no. 14, where the Prayagraj Express was stationed. Delays in the departures of Swatantrata Senani Express and Bhubaneswar Rajdhani further worsened the situation, leading to extreme congestion at platforms 12, 13, and 14. Approximately 1,500 general tickets were sold, exacerbating the rush, particularly near platform no. 14 and the escalator at platform no. 1.
Authorities have assured that necessary measures will be implemented to prevent such incidents in the future.