Police cite mix-up of trains with Prayagraj name led to disaster
New Delhi: A narrow stairway with 42 steps leading to a 25-foot-wide foot overbridge at New Delhi Railway Station became a scene of panic on Saturday night when a stampede claimed 18 lives which included 11 women and four children, and left more than a dozen injured. The tragedy unfolded around 9.55 pm as thousands of passengers — many of them Maha Kumbh pilgrims — swarmed the station amid confusing train announcements.
Eyewitnesses reported that a mix-up occurred when an announcement for the Prayagraj Special arriving at platform 16 clashed with the presence of the Prayagraj Express at platform 14. “People who couldn’t reach their train at platform 14 thought their train was arriving at platform 16, which triggered the stampede,” said a Delhi Police official. The situation was further aggravated by delays affecting three of the four trains headed to Prayagraj, resulting in overcrowding at platforms 12, 13, 14, and 15.
In the aftermath, scattered belongings — including shoes, torn bags, and discarded clothes — were strewn across the narrow stairway, foot overbridge, and platforms, starkly marking the chaos that ensued. Railway staff worked through the night to clear debris, while hospital officials at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital rushed to treat over a dozen injured passengers. Grieving families gathered for inquest proceedings as authorities reviewed CCTV footage to piece together the chain of events.
Northern Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer Himanshu Upadhyay explained that the incident occurred when passengers descending from the foot overbridge toward platforms 14 and 15 slipped and fell amid the crush. In response, additional police personnel have been deployed at the station and rope barriers installed to regulate movement. Security has also been heightened at key stations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal as pilgrims continue to head for Prayagraj.
An inquiry committee, including high-ranking officials Narsingh Deo, principal chief commercial manager, and Pankaj Gangwar, principal chief security commissioner, has been set up to investigate the incident. Meanwhile, the railways have announced a compensation package of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of those killed, Rs 2.5 lakh for the seriously injured, and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries.
Political leaders have expressed their reactions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his condolences on social media, praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. Opposition figures, including former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, criticised the railways for poor crowd management, while leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party decried the incident as a consequence of gross mismanagement.
Authorities remain under pressure to determine the precise causes of the stampede and to implement preventive measures ahead of future large-scale events like the Maha Kumbh, as overcrowding — exacerbated by the sale of approximately 1,500 general tickets per hour — continues to be a major concern.
