New Delhi railway station sees ‘heavy rush’ again after stampede

The intense crowding at the New Delhi railway station on Sunday night brought back memories of the stampede on February 15 during the Maha Kumbh mela that resulted in 18 fatalities. Officials from the police and railway reported that the delays of multiple trains on Sunday night caused a significant influx of passengers at platforms 12 and 13 around 9pm.

A  report stated that travelers climbed over barriers and cut in line to access their designated platforms. The precise timing of this development is still uncertain. The Delhi police stated that they swiftly enforced crowd management strategies.

As per the police, the departure time for four trains was postponed — the Shiv Ganga Express (set to leave at 8.05pm), the Jammu Rajdhani Express (set to leave at 9.25pm), Lucknow Mail (set to leave at 10pm), and Magadh Express (set to leave at 9.05pm).

Compounding the confusion was the Swatantrata Senani Express, slated to leave at 9.15pm but already using the platform.

Officials said the situation was quickly brought under control to avoid a stampede like situation and no injuries were reported. “Due to the cumulative effect of the delays, there was heavy passenger congestion at platforms 12 and 13. Necessary crowd control measures had to be promptly taken to avoid any untoward incident,” an official said.

An RPF official said, “We reached the platform as a precautionary measure. But nothing happened, we just dispersed the crowd as the trains started coming.”