"We were 12 people going to Maha Kumbh. We hadn't even reached the platform but were at the stairs. My family, including my sister were stuck in the crowd. We found her after half an hour and by the time she was dead," said Sanjay, who lost his sister in the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night.
Sanjay was among the thousands of people who turned up at the railway station to board a train for Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. However, what awaited him and others was total chaos, as delayed trains and surge in sale of general tickets led to
overcrowding which led to the death of 18 people.
Eyewitnesses said a huge rush at the station led to the stampede with several fainting because of suffocation.
'Never seen such crowd before'
According to Ravi Kumar, a railway vendor who has been working at the station for years, he had "never witnessed such a crowd before."
"There was a huge crowd on platform number 12, 14, 15 and 16 - where there were trains for Prayagraj. It’s a small bridge and people in large numbers gathered here yesterday. I had never witnessed such a crowd before."
"The crowd was beyond the limit, people were gathered at the (foot over) bridge. Such a huge crowd wasn't expected. I have never seen such a massive crowd at the railway station, even during the festivals. People from the administration and even NDRF personnel were there, but when the crowd exceeded the limit, it wasn't possible to control them," another vendor said.
A railway porter (coolie), who was present there at the time of stampede, said, "People started gathering at around 8:30 pm. We have recovered at least 15 bodies. Women and children have lost their lives in the stampede."
Another porter, who has been working at the station 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.
'Crowd could not be controlled'
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Railway KPS Malhotra, they were expecting the crowd but it all happened in a fraction of time and hence the situation couldn't be controlled.
Ravi, an eyewitness, said 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," he said.
Ajit, a sergeant in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and eyewitness, said, "We have a tri-service office at the railway station. When I was returning after my duty I couldn't go as there was a huge crowd. I tried to convince people and also made announcements appealing to people to avoid gathering on the platform in large numbers. The administration was working hard to prevent any mishap, but no one was listening. I also helped the injured people with the help of one of my friends."
Railways orders high-level inquiry
The Indian Railways has constituted a high-level committee to probe the reason behind the incident. "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," said Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, chief public relations officer of Northern Railway.
Besides, the railways has announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the families of the deceased who lost their lives in the New Delhi Railway Station stampede. Rs 2.5 lakh compensation will be given to the seriously injured and Rs 1 lakh to the minor injured. (With inputs from agencies)
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