Confusion or overcrowding? What led to the New Delhi railway station stampede?

A deadly stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday (February 15) night claimed at least 18 lives, including three children.

Many others were injured in the unexpected rush of passengers trying to board trains for the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

While an inquiry has been ordered into the “unfortunate incident,” the incident has also triggered criticism of the Railways and the government’s preparedness for such large-scale events.

While eyewitnesses claimed there was a last-minute platform change announcement, the railways have denied the allegations. Police officials have said the confusion over similar train names and multiple train delays contributed to the tragedy.

Let’s take a closer look.

Also read: Maha Kumbh Mela stampede on second ‘Amrit Snan’: What happened?

Confusion over train names

According to officials, the confusion over similar train names and multiple delays contributed to the deadly stampede.

Hundreds of passengers tried to enter the Shiv Ganga Express, and the Magadh Express, to reach the Maha Kumbh destination. However, when they could not get on the train, they kept waiting for the Prayagraj Express.

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According to the officials, the chaos began when the arrival of the Prayagraj Special train at Platform 16 was announced. Many passengers, who were supposed to board the Prayagraj Express, misunderstood the train name and mistakenly rushed towards Platform 16, resulting in overcrowding.

The police said, “The announcement of the Prayagraj Special arriving at Platform 16 led to confusion because the Prayagraj Express was already at Platform 14. People who could not reach their train at Platform 14 thought their train was arriving at Platform 16 leading to the stampede. Additionally, four other trains were heading to Prayagraj, out of which three were delayed, causing unexpected overcrowding.”

Here’s a look at train placement during stampede:

• Platform 14: Prayagraj Express (Departure 10.10 pm)

• Platform 12: Magadh Express (Delayed)

• Platform 13: Swatantrata Senani Express (Delayed)

• Platform 15: Bhubaneswar Rajdhani (Delayed)

Also read: Maha Kumbh Mela and more: India’s worst stampede tragedies, in graphics

Overcrowding

As per the preliminary inquiry report, a sudden surge in ticket sales and an announcement for a special train for Prayagraj were other factors that led to the tragic incident.

Aaj Tak accessed the report, which said railway authorities were issuing about 1,500 general tickets per hour for the Maha Kumbh destination. As per PTI, Prayagraj special trains are departing at more than double their capacity, with people clinging to doors, stuffing themselves into packed compartments, and even climbing through train windows in desperation.

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It noted that hundreds of passengers were waiting on platform 14 to board a train for Prayagraj, while a large number of travellers also gathered at the adjacent platform 13 to board the Swatantrata Senani Express, which runs from New Delhi to Darbhanga.

However, the Swantantrata Senani Express was delayed and rescheduled to depart at midnight, so the passengers remained on the platform.

“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 said.

Crowd mismanagement

The Railways and the Centre have both come under fire due to the tragedy. It has raised serious questions about the nation’s preparedness for major events like Maha Kumbh.

Several eyewitnesses have also accused authorities of negligence.

Sanjay Kumar was heading to Prayagraj along with his 11 family members and they had to board the Prayagraj Express. His sister Pinki Devi (37) was reportedly among those who died in the stampede.

He told The Indian Express, “… I found my sister after half an hour… then we tried to give her CPR and pressed her chest several times but to no avail.”

“We were on the platform for around an hour and kept trying to save her. No one (from the authorities) came until then,” Sanjay said, adding that he and other family members had to cross another railway track to exit the railway station and rush his sister to hospital.

Delhi Fire Services Chief Atul Garg acknowledged that the station was severely overcrowded, with police officials confirming that managing the swelling crowd had become “uncontrollable.”

DCP, Railways, KPS Malhotra said, “As per our information, 1,500 general tickets were sold (every hour), which is why the crowd became uncontrollable.”

Also read: Tirupati temple stampede: How opening of gates to let unwell woman exit ticket queue led to chaos

Probing the incident

The Railways has formed a two-member high-level committee to probe the incident.

It includes Narsingh Deo, Principal Chief Commercial Manager of Northern Railway and Pankaj Gangwar, Principal Chief Security Commissioner of Northern Railway.

The committee is to secure and analyse all video footage of the New Delhi Railway Station.

According to the Indian Express, the committee has taken note of crowd mismanagement. They were investigating if adequate personnel had been deployed on the platform.

Blame game

In the wake of the second deadly tragedy amid the ongoing Maha Kumbh, the Opposition has demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, said, “This incident once again highlights the failure of the Railways and the insensitivity of the government."

“They are trying to deny that such an incident happened. How long will the government’s tendency of dilly-dallying and insensitivity will continue? When will the government and the Railway minister’s responsibility be fixed," AAP MP Sanjay Singh said.

Sagarika Ghose, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader, accused the BJP of “covering up deaths and tragedy again and again" and that the saffron party was “callously playing with the lives of Indian citizens."

Taking to X, Ghose said, “First Narendra Modi and his BJP deny any stampede. Then they call it a rumour. Then they admit a ‘few people’ ‘injured’. Then BJP is forced accept a ‘few’ “may have died.” “The ‘minimum governance, maximum publicity’ mantra of the Modi government is again exposed by the shocking New Delhi station stampede. Tragic beyond words,” she added.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar on Sunday said that the Railway Ministry is investigating if there was any “conspiracy or fake news” behind the stampede.

“It is a very sad incident. We and our government are very sad. The Rail Ministry is investigating this incident to understand if any conspiracy or fake news was propagated that caused such an incident," Majumdar said.

The stampede

The stampede occurred on Saturday at around 10 pm as thousands of passengers jostled to board trains bound for Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025.

At least 18 people died, including nine women, five children and four men, and dozens of others were injured in the incident.

As per information, among the deceased, the eldest victim was 79 years old, while the youngest was seven years old.

The bodies of the deceased were taken to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narain (LNJP) Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, and Lady Hardinge Medical College for post-mortem and later handed over the next of kin.

Railways announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the victims , Rs 25 lakh for those seriously injured, and Rs 1 lakh for individuals with minor injuries.

Meanwhile, crowd control will be a persistent concern as the rush to Prayagraj is predicted to last for days.

The ongoing Maha Kumbh will continue till February 26.

With inputs from agencies