New Delhi:
At least 18 people died after a huge rush of passengers, caused by two delayed trains and a special Express train to Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, led to a stampede at the New Delhi Railway station on Saturday night. While eyewitnesses claimed that a last-minute platform change announcement for the special train to Prayagraj caused panic before the deadly stampede, the Railways has denied any such change.
The Delhi police have now provided a clarification in this regard. According to the police, the arrival of another special train to Prayagraj – the Prayagraj Special – on platform number 16 confused the passengers waiting for the special train on platform number 14.
“The announcement of the Prayagraj Special arriving at Platform 16 led to confusion because the Prayagraj Express was already at Platform 14. People who could not reach their train at Platform 14 thought their train was arriving at Platform 16 leading to the stampede. Additionally, four other trains were heading to Prayagraj, out of which three were delayed, causing unexpected overcrowding,” the police said.
A top Railway official said that the incident was caused after a passenger slipped on the nearby stairs.
“Trains were not cancelled, and the platform was not changed. All trains have been running as per its schedule,” Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, CPRO Northern Railway said.
The Railways has also formed a two-member high-level committee to probe the incident. Narsingh Deo, Principal Chief Commercial Manager of Northern Railway and Pankaj Gangwar, Principal Chief Security Commissioner of Northern Railway are a part of the committee, officials said.
The committee, which has commenced its inquiry, gave orders to secure all video footage of the New Delhi Railway Station.
Out of the 18 victims in the incident, 11 were women and four were children. A dozen more people were injured and taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. Majority of the victims who sustained injuries reportedly have suffered lower limb injuries while others suffered from bone injuries.
