Delhi Railway Station Stampede Highlights: Additional GRP, RPF personnel deployed for crowd management

The dead included 11 women, two men, one male teen and four children, according to a list put out by the Delhi police. Three people were also grievously injured and 27 others received simple injuries, the Railway ministry said in a statement, adding that out of them 11 were given treatment and released from a hospital.

Among those killed in a stampede at the New Delhi Railway station on Saturday evening, was Pinki Devi who had set out on a pilgrimage to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh with her family. Pinki, a resident of Sangam Vihar, is survived by her two children -- a 13-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son.

The Delhi Police and Railway Protection Force (RPF) were actively managing the crowd and assisting passengers in boarding trains at the New Delhi railway station on Sunday. This comes a day after the stampede at the railway station in which 18 people lost their lives. The security personnel are using loudspeakers and continuously making announcements about trains.

“Due to the weekend, many passengers were trying to board trains going towards Prayagraj for the Mahakumbh between 9 and 10 pm. At the same time, two trains – Swatantra Senani Express and Delhi-Bhubneshwar Rajdhani Express – were also delayed due to which the number of passengers increased at platforms 12, 13 and 14,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Railways) KPS Malhotra said.

A day after the deadly stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station, four special trains are announced from Delhi to Prayagraj and Darbhanga. Three trains are being launched to Prayagraj junction, one of these trains will depart from Anand Vihar Terminal, and the other two from NDLS. 

After the stampede, the New Delhi Railway station remained overcrowded with thousands of passengers struggling to board trains amid heavy rush. Stairs on Platforms 14 and 15 were blocked, which officials said worsened the tragic stampede at New Delhi Railway Station.

A day after at least 18 people killed in a stampede there, security was ramped up at the New Delhi Railway Station on Sunday, with Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) being deployed. The stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station occurred amid the rush for Maha Kumbh. The injured were taken to Lok Nayak Hospital.

DCP Railway KPS Malhotra told ANI, "...As of now, Prayagraj Special will run from platform number 16, and then Vande Bharat will run. Let railways manage that show, we will do our work. We have sufficient deployment here."
"The situation at platform 16 is normal and under control..." he said

Indian Railways will run a special train for devotees to Prayagraj from platform number 16 on the New Delhi Railway Station, officials said on Sunday following a stampede that resulted in the deaths of 18 people on February 15.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of deceased victims from Bihar and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

As per 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 their train at Platform 14 thought their train was arriving at Platform 16 leading to the stampede. Additionally, 4 trains were heading to Prayagraj, out of which 3 were delayed, causing unexpected overcrowding.

Among 18 deceased in the New Delhi Railway Station stampede, three belonged to a family from Bihar's Samastipur. Their relative Pramod said, "Three members of our family had gone to Delhi from here 4-5 days ago. From there, they were going to Kumbh. They died in the stampede at the station, we got to know about it at 1 am..."

Moazzam, brother of Nadeem who went missing during the stampede incident on the night of February 15, said, “I am from Darbhanga, Bihar. Nadeem is my brother. He was going back home yesterday from the Swatantrata Senani train. I have no clue of him. He doesn’t have a mobile phone… The train was scheduled on platform no. 13. I am afraid that something might have happened.”

On the New Delhi Railway Station stampede, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "It is extremely unfortunate and is the responsibility of the Indian Railways and the Rail Minister, who denies taking accountability of the incident... Please understand that we have a number of rail accidents, derailments, and stampedes, even in Bandra Station in Mumbai, yet no one is taking responsibility... We are seeing passenger fares increase and a reduction in basic trains, and the passengers have been moving like cattle... Maha Kumbh is a centre of faith, and its management is not at all good enough. When will the government hold itself accountable?"

CPRO Northern Railway Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay said that an unprecedented crowd has gathered for the Mahakumbh. The Prayagraj Express was scheduled to arrive at platform number 14, and a large number of devotees were present there. 

Therefore, the railways planned to operate a special train from platform 12. "As people started moving from platform 14 to platform 12, some slipped on the stairs, which possibly led to the unfortunate stampede. We lost 18 lives, and 13 others were injured," CPRO said.

One of the members of the committee formed by the Railways, Narsingh said, "The Railway Ministry has formed a high-level inquiry committee. This committee includes me, Narsingh (BCCM, Northern Railway), and Security Commissioner Shri Gangwar. We have started our investigation this morning. We are reviewing CCTV footage and conducting a thorough inquiry. We have also inspected the site and will speak to witnesses to understand the sequence of events. Once the report is prepared, we will be able to provide more details. Every effort will be made to ensure that such incidents do not happen again."

The situation on platform number 8 has worsened as there is a lot of crowd. Shramjeevi Express train which was going from New Delhi to Rajgir arrived on platform number 8. The platform was jam-packed before the arrival of this train

People have been trying to enter the train by climbing over each other while no RPF deployment is there to facilitate them. As per ground reports, RPF is beating the passengers.

A day after the stampede, a massive crowd gathered at platform number 8 of the New Delhi railway Station.

The majority of the patients have lower limb injuries, and few have bone injuries. Four people are under observation and the rest have been discharged after primary treatment. Most of the patients are stable. A team of 15 doctors are taking care of the injured patients: LNJP Hospital Sources

Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora, Special CP Robin Hibbu, Special CP L&O Ravindra Yadav and Joint CP Vijay Singh have reached the Railway DCP Office at New Delhi Railway Station for a meeting over the initial enquiry report prepared by Delhi Police. The officials will also look into the loopholes of the announcing system.

An eyewitness Tushar said, "When I went to the platform, I saw there was a huge crowd. Suddenly, I saw people fainting and falling from the stairs. There was a man whose wife and daughter were lying unconscious. We took her daughter to the nearest hospital, where she was declared dead, but we did not inform her father. She was referred to LNJP later...We took her body and reached the hospital..."

Among several injured, only four are admitted in LNJP Hospital, others have been discharged after treatmernt.

The two-member committee constituted by the railways include:

• Narsingh Deo PCCM/Northern Railway
• Pankaj Gangwar, PCSC Northern Railway.

The enquiry has started and the committee has ordered to secure all the video footage of NDLS Railway Station.

Northern Railway has cancelled 9 trains and rescheduled one train for operational reasons. 

 Cancellation of Trains:-

• 54213/54214( JNU-PFM-JNU, JCO-16.02.2025)
•  54254/54253(LKO-PFM-LKO,Jco-16.02.2025)
• 54375/54376(PFM-JNU-PFM,JCO-16.02.2025)
• 14102/14101(CNB-PFM/PRG-CNB, JCO-16.02.2025)
• 04254(AY-PFM,JCO-16.02.2025)
• 04205(AY-PFM,JCO-16.02.2025)
• 04118 (AYC-PRYJ, JCO- 16.02.25)
• TRAIN NO-14102 CNB-PYGS JCO 16.02.25
• TRAIN 64567 ( BSC-TKJ) JCO 16/02/2025

Rescheduling of Train

• TRAIN NO-14210 (LKO-PYGS)  RESCHEDULED AT 10.30HRS i.e 255 MINUTES LATE

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday expressed grief over the deaths in a stampede at New Delhi railway station, and announced ex gratia for the kin of the deceased hailing from the eastern state.

At least 18 people were killed and more than a dozen injured in the stampede that broke out late Saturday night at the crowded railway station.

Ashwini Vaishnaw arrived at the Rail Bhawan. He will visit the stampede site.

Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw left Home Minister Amit Shah's residence after the meeting. He will visit the NDLS stampede site.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi paid his condolences to the family members of those who died in the New Delhi Railway Station stampede, in which 18 people were killed and many injured on Saturday night. In a post on X on Sunday, the AIMIM leader demanded to appoint an independent, judicially monitored SIT to investigate the tragedy.

He also demanded an independent inquiry into the systemic failures of the Indian Railways. "My deepest condolences to the loved ones of those who died in the New Delhi Railway Station stampede. This was an avoidable tragedy," Owaisi said.

"Appointing an independent, judicially monitored SIT to investigate the tragedy," he added. "An independent inquiry into the systemic failures of the Indian Railways," he further said.

Poonam Devi, a relative of the deceased, arrived at LNJP Hospital mortuary to receive the body of her relative. She said, "There was suddenly an announcement that the train will be coming on platform 14. People started running, and there was a stampede... I got information that the bodies have been kept here so I have come here to collect the body of my relative... We were going to Chhapra, Bihar... I have no idea about my train ticket, and neither do I know which train I was supposed to board."

AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal said, "The tragic death of the devotees going to Mahakumbh in the accident at New Delhi Railway Station is unfortunate and painful. May God give peace to their souls. My condolences to all the families who lost their loved ones in the accident."

Chief Public Relations Officer of the Northern Railway, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, said, "When this tragic incident took place yesterday, at that time, 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. 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. The situation at the platform is normal now. All trains are running at their usual time..."

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said, "The incident is extremely unfortunate where 18 people died. All of them were going to Mahakumbh... The Railway has formed a committee to investigate the cause of the incident, and action will be taken against the accused... The Prime Minister has also taken cognisance..."

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said, "Deeply pained by the loss of lives at New Delhi Railway Station. I express my sincere condolences for this tragic loss as I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured."

An eyewitness porter (coolie) said that the people started gathering at the platform at around 8:30 pm on Saturday.

Security has been tightened at Prayagraj Junction at the New Delhi Railway Station after the accident. The RPF jawans have taken control of the security measures at the foot over the bridge along with the railway station premises

Lok Sabha LoP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, "This incident once again highlights the failure of the Railways and the insensitivity of the government. Considering the large number of devotees going to Prayagraj, better arrangements should have been made at the station."

An eyewitness working as coolie said, "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 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 collies gathered there to stop the crowd. 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..."

The victims have been identified as Aaha Devi, 79, Pinky Devi, 41, Sheela Devi, 50, Vyom, 25, Poonam Devi, 40, Lalita Devi, 35, Suruchi, 11, Krishna Devi, 40, Vijay Sah, 15, Neeraj, 12, Shanti Devi, 40, Pooja Kumar, 8, Sangeeta Malik, Poonam both aged 34, Mamta Jha, 40, Riya Singh, 7, Baby Kumari, 24, and Manoj, 47.

The government has announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased, who lost their lives in the stampede. Moreover, a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh is announced for the injured. For those who sustained minor injuries, a compensation of Rs 1 lakh has been announced.

Reported by: Anamika Gaur

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expressed condolences on the loss of lives in the stampede. In a post on X, she said, "The news of the death of many people including women and children in the stampede due to crowd at New Delhi Railway Station is extremely sad.  May God grant peace to the departed souls. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured."

A worker at LNJP Hospital named Geeta said, "Injured and dead bodies were brought here to the hospital from 10 pm onwards. 15 dead bodies and 10-12 injured were brought... There were three children among the dead..."

Geeta, a worker at LNJP Hospital, says, "Injured and dead bodies were brought here to the hospital from 10 pm onwards. 15 dead bodies and 10-12 injured were brought... There were three children among the dead."

NDRF Commandant Daulat Ram Chaudhary said, "Situation is normal now. All the injured have been evacuated. We received preliminary information from police control room that stampede broke out in Magadh Express on Platform No. 14, after which we came here. By the time we came, the injured had already been evacuated."

President Droupadi Murmu expressed condolences on the loss of lives in the railway station stampede in New Delhi. She said, "Deeply anguished to know about the loss of lives in a stampede at New Delhi Railway station. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and pray for speedy recovery of those injured."

DCP Railways KPS Malhotra reviewed the situation at the New Delhi Railway Station after the stampede. He said, "Matter is under investigation, inquest is underway. We will first confirm with the hospital (regarding the death count)."

In response to a query on the reason cause of the stampede, Malhotra says: "Two trains were delayed, and along with that, some extra tickets were purchased for Prayagraj, which led to overcrowding at these platforms..."

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed condolences on the tragic loss of lives in the stampede. In a post on X, he said, "The news of the casualties of many people in the unfortunate accident at New Delhi Railway Station is extremely painful. May God grant the departed souls a place in his lotus feet and give the bereaved family the strength to bear this immense pain. My condolences are with the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured."

The railways have clarified that the situation was under control and no train was cancelled. All the trains were running as scheduled.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Railways) revealed that 1,500 general tickets were sold ever hour which caused overcrowding at the station. He said, "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 no. 14 and near escalator near platform no. 16," the DCP said.

In an official statement, the deputy commissioner of police (railway) 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.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Centre over the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday, demanding transparency and accountability in such situations.

He called for immediate disclosure of the exact number of deaths and injuries and provided information about the missing individuals from the Centre. "We demand that the number of dead and injured be declared as soon as possible and the identity of the missing people should also be ensured," Kharge posted on X.

The death count in the New Delhi Railway Station stampede incident has risen to 18. The stampede erupted at around 10 pm on Saturday.

The brother of one of the victims who died in the stampede reached the LNJP Hospital. He said, "We were 12 people going to Mahakumbh. 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..."

Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information & Publicity at the Railway Board, on Sunday, informed that a two-member high-level committee had been formed to investigate the matter and determine the cause of the stampede at New Delhi railway station on Saturday, which claimed around 15 lives.

"A two-member high-level committee has been formed to investigate the matter," said Dilip Kumar.

An eyewitness said that he had never seen such a massive crowd at the railway station even during the season of festivals.