Stampede at New Delhi station caused by falling headload, says Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told Rajya Sabha that a falling headload triggered the February 15 stampede at New Delhi station, which killed 18 people; ₹2.01 cr compensation paid

The February 15 stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station, which killed 18 people, was triggered by a heavy headload falling from a passenger, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

 

Responding to a question by Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman, the minister shared details from a high-level committee report that investigated the incident. The stampede occurred on Foot Overbridge-3 (FOB-3), connecting platforms 14 and 15.

 

“There was a gradual increase of passenger density on the FOB after 8:15 pm. Many passengers were carrying large headloads, which affected smooth movement,” the minister said in a written reply.

 

 

He added, “There was a big headload falling from one of the passengers and the pressure was passed on to the stairs of PF 14/15. This caused people to trip, leading to the incident at 8:48 pm on the FOB. Passengers fell on each other as a result.”   

 

Stampede left 18 dead, 15 injured

 

The stampede claimed 18 lives and injured 15 others. Most victims were part of a large crowd of devotees headed to Prayagraj for the 2025 Maha Kumbh.

 

Despite the crowd, Vaishnaw said that “sufficient crowd management protocols were in place to handle the overall volume of passengers at the station".

 

Compensation of ₹2.01 crore paid

 

Vaishnaw informed the House that ex-gratia compensation has already been disbursed to the victims and their families. “An amount of ₹10 lakh has been given to the next of kin of each deceased. Those seriously injured received ₹2.5 lakh each, while other injured passengers were paid ₹1 lakh each,” he said.

 

In total, ₹2.01 crore has been paid to 33 victims and their families, he added.

 

To improve crowd control and avoid such tragedies in the future, the government has taken several measures. These include creating permanent holding areas and access to control systems at 73 stations. Only passengers with confirmed tickets are allowed entry at these locations.

 

The government has also widened foot overbridges, installed CCTVs, and set up war rooms at major railway stations to manage large crowds effectively.

 

(With agency inputs)