Deadly stampede at New Delhi railway station: Confusing announcements blamed for tragedy

Uttar Pradesh: A devastating stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night claimed at least 18 lives, following a confusion over platform announcements for a Prayagraj-bound Kumbh Special train, according to a Railway Protection Force (RPF) report. The two conflicting announcements, made just three minutes apart, directed passengers to different platforms, creating a chaotic rush that ultimately led to the fatal incident.

Overcrowding on pedestrian bridges led to disaster

The first announcement informed passengers that the Kumbh Special train would depart from Platform 12, followed shortly by another announcement stating the train would leave from Platform 16. This triggered mass movement of passengers, causing congestion on pedestrian bridges 2 and 3 as travelers from Platforms 12, 13, 14, and 15 scrambled to reach the new location. At the same time, passengers from Magadh Express, Uttar Sampark Kranti Express, and the yet-to-arrive Prayagraj Express were descending the staircases, leading to uncontrollable jostling. Some passengers lost their balance and were trampled in the stampede.

Railway officials struggled to control the situation

According to the RPF report, the situation began to escalate after the Shiv Ganga Express departed from Platform 12 at 8:15 PM, leading to rapid crowd buildup on pedestrian bridges. The Assistant Security Commissioner of RPF (ASC/NDLS) rushed to Bridge 2, assessed the overwhelming crowd, and ordered an immediate halt to ticket sales to prevent further congestion. Officials were also instructed to expedite the departure of special trains once they were filled with passengers.

Despite these measures, an announcement at 8:45 PM regarding the departure of the Kumbh Special train from Platform 12 added to the chaos. Within minutes, another announcement directed passengers to Platform 16, resulting in mass confusion and panic.

Lack of CCTV footage hampers investigation

A senior police officer involved in the investigation revealed that the CCTV camera monitoring the bridge and staircase where the stampede occurred was non-functional, making it difficult to analyze the exact sequence of events. However, footage from CCTVs installed near the escalators on the rear side of the staircase is being examined for further clues.

Shortage of security personnel exposed

The New Delhi railway station typically has 270 RPF personnel assigned for crowd management, but only 80 were on duty at the time of the incident. The remaining personnel had been deployed to Prayagraj for crowd control, raising serious concerns over security preparedness at one of India’s busiest railway stations.