Delhi stampede Highlights| Bihar BJP chief alleges 'conspiracy' behind crush

At least 18 dead, many injured in stampede due to Kumbh rush at New Delhi railway stn

At least 18 people were killed and more than a dozen injured in a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night following a sudden rush of passengers going to Prayagraj to attend the Kumbh Mela, officials said.

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Eyewitness recalls horror, chaos of stampede on railway station

"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...," a porter told news agency ANI.

PM Modi expresses condolences over stampede

"Distressed by the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured have a speedy recovery. The authorities are assisting all those who have been affected by this stampede," the Prime Minister said.

Rs 10 lakh compensation to kin of deceased, Rs 2.5 lakh for those seriously hurt

Families of those who lost their lives in Saturday night's stampede will be paid compensation of Rs 10 lakh, the Indian Railways announced on Sunday.

Meanwhile, those seriously injured will receive Rs 2.5 lakh, news agency ANI reported, citing the railways.

People dead due to Modi govt's mismanagement, negligence, says Rahul Gandhi

"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. The government and administration should ensure that no one has to lose their life due to mismanagement and negligence," wrote the Congress leader in a post on X.

President Murmu 'deeply anguished' by Delhi stampede

"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," the President wrote on X.

Incident sad, but accidents happen, says Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC

Speaking to news agency PTI, the Sena leader said, "It is very sad how people passed away in a stampede. First of all, I want to extend my sympathies to the affected families. The administration will take proactive measures. The transparency and accountability have always been there, the Railway Minister has maintained it. Accidents do happen, the only objective is how to pre-empt it."

Latest visuals from outside the mortuary of the LNJP Hospital in Delhi, where bodies of deceased have been kept

Priyanka Gandhi offers condolences for those who lost their lives in the stampede

"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," wrote the Congress leader on X.

K C Venugopal attacks Modi govt over stampede

"This kind of a disaster taking place in the national capital, under the direct watch of the Central Government, shows that the government is utterly incompetent and is only capable of PR, not actual management," Venugopal said.

"The Government has again tried to downplay the situation. When will we know the exact figures of the dead and injured? Why were crowd control measures not in place? Why did the railways not run special trains when they knew this crowd was to be anticipated in light of the Mahakumbh?," the Congress leader asked.

Despite stampede, devotees continue to arrive in Prayagraj in large numbers

As of February 15, more than 50 crore people had taken a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj.

Himanta condoles deaths in stampede at New Delhi Railway Station

"I am extremely anguished by the terrible news coming in from New Delhi Railway Station. On behalf of the people of Assam, we offer our deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the stampede," Sarma said in a post on X.

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Sanjay Raut lashes out at Modi govt over 'failure' of authorities to manage Kumbh crowds

"It’s a failure of the authority. Maha Kumbh is a holy festival. People will come in large numbers (in Prayagraj) but BJP took the control of it for the party’s campaign. They invited 50 crore people but what was the arrangement?... People were road arrested for hours. People have died in stampede. More than 60,000 people are missing. Who will find them?," Raut said.

People arrive to collect bodies of kin from LNJP Hospital

'New Vande Bharat reels coming soon': Sena (UBT) leader launches scathing attack on Modi govt over handling of deadly incidents

'Lesson for all of us': MP CM Mohan Yadav says stampede 'shook' him

"This is a very sad incident which shook me. It is a lesson for all of us to use the means of transport carefully. Whether it is railways or buses, we need to keep ourselves safe. PM Modi has taken cognizance of the incident. I hope such incidents do no repeat in the future...," said MP CM Mohan Yadav

Visuals from outsie the mortuary of the LNJP Hospital

Delhi Police release names of those killed in Saturday's stampede

The Delhi Police on Sunday morning released the names of those killed in Saturday night's stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station:

1. Aaha Devi w/o Ravindee Nath, r/o Buxure, Bihar. Age: 79 years

2. Pinky Devi w/o Upender Sharma, r/o Sangam Vihar, Delhi. Age: 41 years

3. Sheela Devi w/o Umesh Giri, r/o Sarita Vihar, Delhi. Age: 50 years

4. Vyom s/o Dharamveer, r/o Bawana, Delhi. Age: 25 years

5. Poonam Devi w/o Megh Nath, r/o Saran, Bihar. Age: 40 years

6. Lalita Devi w/o Santosh, r/o Parna, Bihar. Age: 35 years

7. Suruchi d/o Manoj Shah, r/o Muzaffarpur, Bihar. Age: 11 years

8. Krishna Devi w/o Vijay Shah, r/o Samastipur, Bihar. Age: 40 years

9. Vijay Sah s/o Ram Sarup Sah, r/o Samastipur, Bihar. Age: 15 years

10. Neeraj s/o Inderjeet Paswan, r/o Vaishali, Bihar. Age: 12 years

11. Shanti Devi w/o Raj Kumar Manjhi, r/o Nawada, Bihar. Age: 40 years

12. Pooja Kumar d/o Raj Kumar Manjhi, r/o Nawada, Bihar. Age: 8 years

13. Sangeeta Malik w/o Mohit Malik, r/o Bhiwani, Haryana. Age: 34 years

14. Poonam w/o Virender Singh, r/o Mahavir Enclave, Delhi. Age 34 years

15. Mamta Jha w/o Vipin Jha, r/o Nangloi Delhi. Age: 40 years

16. Riya Singh d/o Opil Singh, r/o Sagarpur, Delhi. Age: 7 years

17. Baby Kumari d/o Prabhu Sah, r/o Bijwasan, Delhi. Age: 24 years

18. Manoj s/o Panchdev Kushwaha, r/o Nangloi, Delhi. Age: 47 years

Barricades being set up at New Delhi Railway station to manage evening crowds

With the rush for the Maha Kumbh nowhere close to subsiding, barricades were put up at the New Delhi Railway Station on Sunday morning to manage evening crowds.

Despite several accidents and two stampedes, interest in the Maha Kumbh remains strong, with over 50 crore people having taken holy dips in the Triveni Sangam as of February 15.

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw arrives at Rail Bhawan in Delhi

'Carried bodies on handcarts': Porters recall stampede horror

With the death toll in the overnight stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station climbing to 18 on Sunday, porters recounted their harrowing experience of carrying bodies on handcarts amid the chaos.

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Visuals from outside LNJP Hospital as people wait to collect bodies of deceased

Delhi L-G edited X post to remove 'loss of lives and injuries' while condoling stampede incident

In his original post, Saxena said there was an "unfortunate and tragic" incident of "loss of lives and injuries" due to "disorder and stampede" at the New Delhi Railway Station. "My deepest condolences to the families of victims of this tragedy."

However, after about 15 minutes Saxena edited his post to delete the reference to deaths. No explanation was given.

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Common man has no value, Modi govt only cares about capitalist friends, says AAP spokesperson

"What did they (the government) learn from the earlier stampede incident? The common man has no value. The arrangements they make are only for their capitalist friends," AAP national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar told news agency PTI.

'L-G's tweet was edited': Modi govt only cares about their image, not people, says Pawan Khera

"The overcrowding happened due to lack of proper administration. The Delhi L-G's tweet was edited. They are only worried about their image, they are playing with the faith of people. No helpline was released till now. A platform was closed for cleaning. All the CCTV footage should be released," Congress leader Pawan Khera said.

Delhi Police Commissioner, other top officials reach New Delhi Railway Station for meeting over initial probe

Eyewitnesses recall Saturday night horror at New Delhi Railway Station post stampede

According to official sources, a wrong announcement about change of platforms may have created a confusion that led to the stampede, something that some eyewitnesses also claimed.

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DCP rank officer to lead probe into station stampede

The Delhi Police has initiated an inquest proceeding on the New Delhi Railway Station stampede incident. The inquiry is being headed by a DCP rank officer. As per the Standard Operating Procedure, six additional companies have been supplied by PHQ to control stampede-like situations, news agency ANI reported.

CCTV footagebeing reviewed, details to be released later, says member of high-level probe committee

"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," said Narsingh Deo, one of the members of the high-level inquiry committee.

Congress calls for Ashwini Vaishnaw's sacking over stampede

Commenting on the incident at the New Delhi Railway Station that led to the loss of at least 18 lives, the Congress on Sunday called for the resgnation or sacking of Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, accusing the Modi government of 'mismanagement'.

Delhi Police say confusion over trains named 'Prayagraj' led to stampede

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

Kumbh 'meaningless': Lalu courts row amid New Delhi station stampede

Asked to comment on how lakhs of people were heading to Prayagraj for the mega religious gathering, Prasad said, “The Kumbh has no meaning… It is just meaningless.”

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Ashram chief slams Lalu over 'meaningless Kumbh' comment

"... Something seems insignificant only when we lack personal consideration for it... They (Lalu Prasad Yadav) spend crores on publicity, yet enough people don't attend their gatherings... People are elated by coming to Maha Kumbh...," said Parmarth Niketan Ashram President Swami Chidanand Saraswati.

CPRO of Central Railways details arrangements for Kumbh devotees in aftermath of stampede

"Different arrangements have been made for the passengers at the originating stations of the special trains that are being run for Maha Kumbh... Here, additional ticket booking counters, May I Help You booths, and continuous information through Public announcement systems have been arranged... Central Railway will run 4 trains... Additional RPF staff, railway operating and commercial department staff have been deployed. We request the passengers to please buy valid tickets and board the trains according to the instructions and in a line for your and your co-passengers' convenience...," said CPRO Swapnil Nila.

Families mourn loss of loved ones in aftermath of stampede

Platform 16 'normal'; Prayagraj Special, Vande Bharat to depart from there this evening

"As of now, Prayagraj Special will run from platform number 16, and then Vande Bharat will run...The situation at platform 16 is normal and under control...," DCP Railway KPS Malhotra told news agency ANI.

Our role is to ensure such incidents do not happen again: KPS Malhotra

DCP Railway KPS Malhotra said, "RPF and Delhi Police have made a combined arrangement. Dynamic arrangements have been made for the Special trains. Arrangements have been made at both the exit points and the footover bridge. The expert committee report will be the final report that will come tomorrow. Our role is to ensure that such incidents do not happen again."

'Govt does not care, only engaged in PR': Tejashwi Yadav

Tejashwi Yadav commented on Delhi Stampede and said, "The government has made no arrangements. Poor people are being killed continuously. There have been deaths from station to ghat. The whole country and Bihar want to know who is responsible for these deaths.

"Who is guilty? Thousands of people are being killed; the government is not concerned. The government is only engaged in its PR. The arrangements are limited to VVIP tents only. There is mismanagement all over the place... someone should be held responsible for the accident. Most of the dead are from Bihar. The Bihar government has nothing to do with it. Earlier, too, many Biharis had died on the ghats."

Railways to run 4 Maha Kumbh Mela Special trains to clear extra rush

For the convenience of the rail passengers and to clear extra rush during Maha Kumbh Mela, Railways have decided to run 4 Maha Kumbh Mela Special trains: Northern Railway

5 of 18 victims of stampede at Delhi railway station died due to traumatic asphyxia

Five of the 18 victims of the stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station died due to traumatic asphyxia, the RML Hospital said on Sunday.

The LNJP handed over the bodies to the RML Hospital which conducted a post-mortem examination on them, it said.

"No injured were brought to RML Hospital. We received five dead bodies from LNJP for postmortem. Four of them were females and one a male," a senior doctor said.

At least 18 people were killed in the overnight stampede at the packed railway station. A senior railway official said on Sunday that the incident occurred after some passengers slipped and fell on others while coming down from a footover bridge.

(PTI)

'People trampled over each other', survivors recall horror of railway station stampede

As a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night claimed 18 lives, survivors of the tragic incident on Sunday recalled the horrors that unfolded before their eyes.

A daily wage labourer from Prayagraj presently living in Noida, Anirudh had been trying to book a ticket to his hometown for days. Unable to secure one due to the huge rush of people heading to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh, he opted for a general ticket.

Recalling the horrors of Saturday night, Anirudh said, "No one was walking; people were just pushing each other to move ahead. I saw women falling to the ground and others trampling over them. People didn't even realise they were walking over human beings who were alive."

The station was already crowded when he reached there but there was still space to sit until 9 pm, Anirudh said. However, as soon as an announcement was made – he was unsure whether it was for a train to Prayagraj or another destination – people suddenly started running.

(PTI)

2600 more passengers had booked their ticket at New Delhi yesterday between 18.00 to 20.00 hrs. One Special train was started from NDLS in that time period: Railway ministry

Special Trains from New Delhi to Prayagraj to Depart from Platform 16; Passengers to Use Ajmeri Gate for Entry/Exit

Special Trains from New Delhi to Prayagraj to Depart from Platform 16; Passengers to Use Ajmeri Gate for Entry/Exit

Additional RPF and GRP Personnel Deployed to Manage Peak Rush; 4 Special Trains Operated Today, 5 More Scheduled for Tomorrow to Facilitate Devotees Traveling to Mahakumbh

Ex-Gratia and Compensation Announced for Kin of Deceased, Grievously Injured, and Minor Injured Passengers; Railway Personnel Attend the Last Rites of all the 18 Deceased

Two-Member High-Level Committee Begins Probe into Yesterday’s Tragic Incident at New Delhi Railway Station

Conspiracy behind the stampede: Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal

Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal said, "We need to investigate this matter because it seems that there's a conspiracy behind the stampede breaking out all of a sudden. Making comments on religious faith is inappropriate."

On former Union Railway Minister and RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's statement, he says, "Lalu has aged now. He himself doesn't know what he says anymore."

If any tragedy happens, where people lose their family members, it causes irreparable damage: Baba Ramdev

On the New Delhi Railway Station stampede, Yog guru Baba Ramdev says, "I am not going to make political comments on this. If any tragedy happens, where people lose their family members, it causes irreparable damage."

The public should have been alert, and there should have been good arrangements at the station: BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari

On the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari says, "It is a sad incident. The public should have been alert, and there should have been good arrangements at the station. The Railway Minister and the government are working. Compensation has been announced. Crowds are coming from 250 kms adjacent to Prayagraj, they should be sent back, police is making arrangements for water and food at places with jams. These arrangements should have been made in the railways as well. Passengers should also be alert till 26 January. There has been negligence from both sides.

Families mourn the loss of loved ones