Confusion over train arrival triggers deadly stampede; probe panel seeks CCTV footage
New Delhi: A day after the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station left 18 people dead and 15 injured, the Ministry of Railways on Sunday ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident.
With passenger safety concerns mounting, the Northern Railway has constituted a two-member inquiry committee comprising Pankaj Gangwar, Principal Chief Security Commissioner (PCSC), and Narsingh Deo, Principal Chief Commercial Manager (PCCM). The probe, being conducted at the Higher Administrative Grade (HAG) level, aims to identify lapses in crowd management and infrastructure preparedness.
Officials from the Railways and Delhi Police claimed that the incident was reportedly triggered when authorities announced a special train for Prayagraj from platform 12, leading to a sudden movement of passengers from Platform 14. At the time, the Prayagraj Express was scheduled to depart from Platform 14, and the additional announcement created confusion among anxious passengers rushing to secure seats.
Railway officials have further clarified that no platform change was made, nor was any special train cancelled. However, the unexpected surge in crowd movement led to panic, resulting in the stampede.
All injured passengers were immediately provided with medical treatment at the nearby Lok Nayak Jayprakash Narayan Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College.
The Railways have announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased, Rs. 2.5 lakh for those seriously injured and Rs. 1 lakh for those with minor injuries. Meanwhile, authorities have confirmed that compensation funds have already been disbursed to the victims’ families.
The probe committee has instructed station authorities to preserve all video footage to analyse the sequence of events leading to the chaos. Key areas under investigation include crowd management protocols at peak travel hours. Security personnel’s response and intervention during the crisis. Station infrastructure efficiency, including the functionality of foot overbridges, escalators, and signage. And, adequacy of public announcements to guide passenger movement effectively.
A senior railway official stated, “Ensuring passenger safety remains our top priority. The committee will assess whether any operational or security lapses occurred and recommend measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
Later on Sunday evening, the Railways said that to manage the heavy rush for Prayagraj-bound passengers, additional special trains have already been deployed. It added that on Saturday five special trains were operated from the Delhi area to ease congestion. Official records indicate that between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm nearly 2,600 additional passengers booked tickets at New Delhi Station, prompting authorities to start one special train during that period. Between 8:00 and 10 pm, another special train was dispatched, despite unreserved ticket bookings being lower than usual during that timeframe.
To further address passenger demand, four additional special trains are scheduled for Prayagraj on Sunday. As the high-level inquiry progresses, its findings are expected to shape policy changes for better crowd management at major railway hubs. Potential measures include deploying additional security personnel at peak hours, enhancing real-time digital signage and announcements for better passenger guidance, strengthening foot overbridges and other station infrastructure to accommodate large crowds.
With passenger safety under intense scrutiny, authorities have urged travellers to remain calm, follow station guidelines, and cooperate with security personnel to ensure smooth railway operations.
In its initial probe, the Delhi Police has found that the deadly stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station happened as passengers got confused between ‘Prayagraj Express and Prayagraj Special’, and thought they might miss their train, sources said.
The announcement of the ‘Prayagraj Special’ arriving at Platform 16 led to confusion among the waiting passengers because the Prayagraj Express was already at Platform 14. People who were reaching Platform 14 thought their train was arriving at Platform 16 and they rushed towards it, leading to the stampede, the sources said. Additionally, there were four trains heading to Prayagraj, out of which three were delayed, causing an unexpected overcrowding, said the police source.
In the aftermath of the tragic stampede, Railway staff worked through the night to clear the platforms where a large number of shoes, torn bags and clothes were strewn around.
A railway staffer, who had spent hours clearing the personal belongings of passengers caught in the stampede, described the scene as “one of the worst” he had witnessed.
The stampede occurred around 9:55 pm on Saturday night when thousands of passengers, mostly Maha Kumbh pilgrims, crowded the station to board trains to Prayagraj.
At the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital, grieving families gathered to identify their loved ones.
A man, searching desperately for his missing son, broke down upon seeing a familiar blue backpack among the items recovered from the station. “He was just 12. He was supposed to board the train with me,” he said.
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh condoled the loss of lives in the stampede.
“Deeply anguished to know about the loss of lives in a stampede at New Delhi railway station. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and pray for speedy recovery of those injured,” Murmu said in a post on X
Opposition parties slammed the government over the loss of lives in the stampede. The Congress accused the government of attempting to hide the truth about the deaths in the stampede and said it has once again highlighted the “failure” of the Railways and the “insensitivity” of the government. while the AAP said it was a glaring example of “gross mismanagement” and lack of crowd control measures.
Delhi Police put out a list of the 18 deceased and launched an investigation into the stampede.
“Our main target is to investigate the main cause which caused the stampede. We will collect all data of CCTV footage and announcements done during that time,” a police source said.
The deceased have been identified as Asha Devi (79), Pinky Devi (41), Sheela Devi (50), Vyom (25), Poonam Devi (40), Lalita Devi (35), Suruchi (11), Krishna Devi (40), Vijay Sah (15), Neeraj (12), Shanti Devi (40), Pooja Kumari (8), Sangeeta Malik (34), Poonam (34), Mamta Jha (40), Riya Singh (7), Baby Kumari (24) and Manoj (47).
Hospital sources said that all bodies of victims were handed over to their family members on Sunday morning and they left for their respective places.
