What led to stampede at New Delhi Railway Station which killed 18?

While the Railways has constituted a high-level committee to probe the incident, initial reports and eyewitness accounts revealed what led to the stampede at New Delhi Railway Statio

At least 18 people were killed over a dozen injured in a stampede that broke out late Saturday night at the New Delhi Railway Station. While the Railways has constituted a high-level committee to probe the incident, initial reports and eyewitness accounts revealed what led to the stampede.

 

According to Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, chief public relations officer of Northern Railway, the incident happened on platform 14 and 15. A crowd of passengers was waiting there to board trains for Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj.

 

"When this tragic incident took place yesterday, Magadh Express going towards Patna was standing on platform number 14 of New Delhi Railway Station, and Uttar Sampark Kranti going towards Jammu was standing on platform number 15. During this, a passenger coming towards platforms 14-15 slipped and fell on the stairs, and many passengers standing behind him were hit, and this tragic incident took place," Upadhyay said. 

 

 

"This is being investigated by a high-level committee. No train was cancelled, nor was there any change in platform... The incident is being investigated, so let the committee submit their report and findings," he added.

 

VIDEO | Visuals from platform number 12 and 13 after a stampede-like situation broke out at the New Delhi Railway station, triggering a chaos on platform number 14 and 15.  (Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvqRQz)#NewDelhi #NewDelhiRailwayStation pic.twitter.com/oxpSBcZt5v

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 15, 2025

 

Sudden surge in sale of tickets

 

According to Delhi Police, the confusion happened because of the announcement of the trains having the same initial name starting with 'Prayagraj.' The announcement of the Prayagraj Special arriving at platform 16 led to confusion because the Prayagraj Express was already at platform 14. People who couldn't reach to their train at platform 14 thought their train was arriving at platform 16 leading to the stampede. Additionally, there were four trains heading to Prayagraj, out of which three were delayed, causing unexpected overcrowding.

  In an official statement, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Railway KPS Malhotra said platform number 14 was already very crowded when the Prayagraj Express train was waiting there for its departure.  

The officer said Swatantra Senani Express and Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani Express were delayed and the passengers of these trains were also present on platform numbers 12, 13 and 14.

 

"As per CMI, every hour 1,500 general tickets were sold by railways due to which the station got overcrowded and became uncontrollable. There was a stampede at platform 14 and near escalator near platform 16," the DCP said. 

What did eyewitnesses say?

 

A porter (coolie) at the New Delhi Railway Station, who has worked there since 1981, said he had never seen a crowd this big before. "Prayagraj Special was supposed to leave from platform number 12, but it was shifted to platform number 16. When the crowd waiting at platform 12 and the crowd waiting outside tried to reach platform 16, people started colliding and fell on the escalator and stairs. Several coolies gathered there to stop the crowd," news agency ANI quoted him as saying.

 

"We took at least 15 bodies and loaded them in an ambulance. There were only shoes and clothes on the platform. When the crowd waiting at platform 12 and the crowd from outside tried to reach platform 16, people started colliding and fell on the escalator and stairs. We called police, fire tenders, and 3-4 ambulances reached there, and people were taken to the hospital," he added.

 

#WATCH | Stampede at New Delhi railway station | A porter (coolie) at the railway station says "I have been working as a coolie since 1981, but I never saw a crowd like this before. Prayagraj Special was supposed to leave from platform number 12, but it was shifted to platform… pic.twitter.com/cn2S7RjsdO

— ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2025

 

Another eyewitness, Ravi, said, "The stampede broke out around 9:30 pm. When people on platform number 13 saw trains on platforms 14 and 15 - they moved towards these platforms. The platforms of the trains were not changed, but the crowd was so huge that it could not be controlled."

 

#WATCH | Stampede at New Delhi Railway Station | An eyewitness, Ravi says, "The stampede broke out around 9:30 pm... When people on platform number 13 saw trains on platforms 14 and 15 - they moved towards these platforms. The platforms of the trains were not changed, but the… pic.twitter.com/hPO61B58Lx

— ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2025

 

One of the passengers, Dharmendra Singh, said, "I was going to Prayagraj but many trains were running late or were cancelled. The station was overcrowded. There were far more people than I have ever seen at this station. In front of me, six or seven women were taken away on stretchers."

 

Another passenger, Pramod Chaurasia, said, "I had a sleeper-class ticket for Purushottam Express but even those with confirmed tickets could not board the train. One of my friends and a female passenger got stuck in the crowd. There was too much pushing and jostling. We managed to stay safe by waiting outside with our children." 

Changing statements

 

Initially, the Indian Railways dismissed the reports of stampede as "rumour." However, it later confirmed that an undisclosed number of people had been injured and taken to hospital.

 

"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. 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 and injured passengers have been taken to nearby hospitals by RPF and Delhi Police," the Railways statement read.

 

The changed statement was also highlighted by news agency, which issued a correction based on updated statement by Railways' Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO).

 

"The tweet (screenshot attached) is being deleted as it was the first statement provided by the CPRO. Updated information has been tweeted when accurate information came in," it said in a tweet.

 

Photo: X/@ANI

 

In a statement on X, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena initially expressed his grief at the deaths, but later edited it, removing the bits where he mentioned the casualties.

 

In his original post, Saxena said there was an "unfortunate and tragic" incident of "loss of lives and injuries" due to "disorder and stampede" at the New Delhi Railway Station. "My deepest condolences to the families of victims of this tragedy."

 

However, after about 15 minutes Saxena edited his post to delete the reference to deaths without giving an explanation.

  (With inputs from agencies)