New Delhi Railway Station stampede: Fadnavis condoles loss of lives

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday expressed grief over the loss of lives in a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station and said authorities will take steps to ensure such incidents do not recur.

At least 18 persons were killed in the overnight stampede at the packed New Delhi Railway Station, with a senior railway official saying the incident occurred after some passengers slipped and fell on others while coming down from a foot-over bridge.

More than a dozen persons were also injured in the stampede on Saturday night at the railway station, which witnessed a surge of passengers waiting to board trains for Prayagraj -- where the Maha Kumbh is underway -- on platform numbers 14 and 15.

"It was an unfortunate incident. Authorities will take steps to ensure such incidents don't happen in future," Fadnavis told reporters in Nagpur while responding to a question on the stampede.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam said the New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday possibly had the largest crowd ever and it was “historic and unexpected”.

The railway administration should have anticipated this, he said in a post on X.

On the contrary, the platform of the special train going to Prayagraj was suddenly changed. Passengers ran towards the platform which resulted in a stampede, Nirupam said.

“The only person responsible for this accident is the railway official who decided to change the platform number. He must be punished,” he said.

Couldn't the railway officials make proper arrangements for the enthusiastic devotees going to the Maha Kumbh? Nirupam asked.

“Railways should have made comprehensive preparations,” said the Shiv Sena leader, whose party is a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray targeted Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the deaths due to the stampede, claiming he "simply refuses to take any responsibility".

"They might as well officially change the name to Reel Mantri," Thackeray said in a post on X.

"Be it the railway management, railway infrastructure or even the number of the accidents faced by the railways. Never has the @RailMinIndia so directionless and ineffective before," he claimed in the post.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut claimed that "more than 100 persons" died in the New Delhi Railway Station stampede, but did not substantiate his comments.

Talking to reporters here, Raut also claimed said that 2,000 persons died in the stampede at the Maha Kumbh in Uttar Pradesh's Parayagraj last month, as against the official toll of 30, and 7,000 people were still missing.

The Rajya Sabha member, however, did not substantiate these claims also.

Maha Kumbh is a pious event and a matter of faith and crores of people flock there. But the BJP took control of the Maha Kumbh for its campaign which caused the stampede, he charged.