New Delhi Railway Station Stampede: Delhi police cites three reasons behind mishap that killed 18, left several injured

Days after a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station left at least 18 dead and several injured, Delhi police has cited three key reasons in its preliminary investigation—overcrowding, inadequate crowd management, and confusion caused by train announcements. 

The incident took place on Saturday, February 15, around 10 pm when a large crowd of passengers, misled by a mix-up in train announcements, rushed towards platform 16 via a narrow stairway. Trapped between those trying to ascend and others attempting to descend, the crowd turned into a bottleneck. Panic spread within minutes, leading to a deadly crush.  

Despite the chaos, congestion at the station persisted for hours, with thousands of passengers still struggling for space on platforms and foot-over bridges. Despite the high passenger influx for Kumbh Mela, no special crowd management measures were in place over the weekend, Zee Business learned. 

'No conspiracy behind stampede'

On Monday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw ruled out any conspiracy behind the incident and denied reports of an extraordinary rush at the station when the stampede occurred. 

“No conspiracy looks at the moment,” he told reporters at Rail Bhavan, adding that the inquiry committee is examining all aspects. He also dismissed suggestions that a platform change announcement triggered the stampede.  

Railway officials stated that New Delhi Railway Station has a total capacity of 48,000 passengers across its 16 platforms, with each platform capable of accommodating up to 3,000 people at a time.  

What happened at New Delhi Railway Station?

On February 15, the day of the stampede, an increased number of unreserved tickets were sold at New Delhi Railway Station. Between 6 pm and 8 pm, approximately 12,208 unreserved tickets were issued, compared to the usual daily average of around 9,600. Between 8 pm and 10 pm, 7,600 unreserved tickets were sold, whereas on other days, the number typically stands at 8,900, according to a railway official, as PTI reported.

In response to the surge in ticket sales, a Prayagraj Special train was operated from platform 12 at 7:15 pm Another special train was later planned and positioned at the same platform at 8:50 pm An announcement for the Prayagraj Special was made around 8:30 pm, which reportedly led to confusion among some passengers who mistook it for the Prayagraj Express. These passengers, initially waiting at platform 14, began moving towards platform 12, the official said.  

While climbing the stairs leading to platform 12, several passengers were already seated along the steps. One individual, carrying a heavy load on his head, lost balance and fell onto others, triggering the stampede, the official added.  

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that a war room set up at Rail Bhawan, which provides live feeds from various stations, including all platforms at New Delhi Railway Station, indicated that there was no extraordinary crowd at the time of the incident.