Rlys scrambles into action after stampede kills 18 at New Delhi station

All Prayagraj special trains to now leave from Platform 16

Nearly 50 officers of the Rapid Action Force — India’s specialised riot control paramilitary unit — stood along the rails of the staircase descending to Platforms 14 and 15 of the New Delhi railway station, on Sunday evening. This was the epicentre of Saturday night’s tragedy, when a stampede left at least 18 dead and 15 others injured.

 

“If you think this is crowded, yesterday’s sights would have horrified you,” said a vendor at Platform 16, the first platform upon entry through the Ajmeri Gate complex of the station. On Sunday, this is where the Railways ran its special trains for Prayagraj, the city near which the Maha Kumbh Mela is being held.

 

 

By the evening, huge crowds gathered at the platform again, even as another platform, where passengers awaited the Amb Andaura Vande Bharat Express, remained calm.

 

As a special train stopped at the platform, pandemonium ensued for the next few minutes. Desperate travellers climbed over each other to enter the general coaches —several of them struck by large cartons being pushed in by other passengers.

 

Officers of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) stationed at each gate of every coach attempted to manage the crowd. Once the train was ready to depart, a deafening cacophony of whistles engulfed the air, as officers blew in unison to coordinate their efforts.

 

“A day after the stampede at New Delhi railway station, Northern Railway has enforced a number of measures to prevent such incidents. It has been decided that all special trains bound for Prayagraj will now operate from Platform 16. Therefore, all passengers traveling to Prayagraj must enter and exit through the Ajmeri Gate side of the station,” the Ministry of Railways stated on Sunday evening.

 

Nearly 20 hours after the tragedy, authorities attempted to stagger the entry of passengers to manage crowds. A queue spanning several hundred meters was visible at the station’s entry gates, with dozens of railway officers working to streamline the process.

 

Those present at the station on Saturday night said they had never seen such a crowd in their lives.

 

The Railways has set up a committee to investigate the incident; its members are from Northern Railway itself — Pankaj Gangwar, principal chief security commissioner, and Nar Singh, principal chief commercial manager, both senior administrative officers.

 

The Railways gave an ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh each to the kin of the deceased. A compensation of ₹2.5 lakh each was given to grievously injured passengers and ₹1 lakh each was handed to passengers with minor injuries.

 

The New Delhi station, one of India’s busiest, is often filled to capacity, but the stampede has put spotlight on alleged mismanagement by the Railways. Critics and Opposition leaders have slammed the national transporter, accusing it of attempting to obscure facts and downplay the severity of the incident.

 

An initial statement by the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northern Railways on Saturday denied the occurrence of a stampede, while no official casualty report was available from the ministry until Sunday.

 

A redevelopment plan for the station, which would expand capacity and overhaul passenger flow, has been pending for over a decade.

 

Meanwhile, a pall of gloom hung over the campuses of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC), more than 12 hours after they received the bodies from the station. “I saw ambulance after ambulance come in through the gates. From the first moment, it was clear that a major tragedy had unfolded,” said Mukesh Sharma, who was attending a relative at LHMC. Silence and unease blanketed the hospitals, punctuated only by the quiet sobs of bereaved family members.