‘Passengers Fell On Each Other': Railways Says Headload, Not Stampede, Killed 18 At New Delhi Station

News18

5 days ago

The February 15 incident was caused by a passenger dropping a headload, leading to a fall on the stairs, said the ministry
The railway ministry on Friday told Parliament that the February 15 incident at the New Delhi station, where 18 people died, was caused by a passenger dropping a headload, leading to a fall on the stairs—not a stampede, as initially described.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said on the night of the incident that he was 'distressed by the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station".
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.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 15, 2025
Minister cites report
MP Ramji Lal Suman had asked the ministry about the 'stampede which took place on the night of February 15 at New Delhi Railway Station".
Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw cited the findings of a report, saying the incident happened on 'Foot Over Bridge (FOB)-3 stairs connecting Platform 14/15 at New Delhi Railway Station".
'On the day of the incident, sufficient crowd management protocols were in place to handle the overall volume of passengers at the station," he said.
Explaining the events, he added that there was a gradual increase in passenger density on the FOB after 8.15 pm.
'Many of the passengers were carrying big headloads, affecting smooth movement on the FOB. There was a big headload falling from one of the passengers, and the pressure was passed on to the stairs of PF 14/15, resulting in the tripping of passengers on the stairs. This led to an incident at 8.48 pm on FOB-3, which was limited to the stairs of FOB. Consequently, passengers fell on each other," the ministry said.
Rs 2.01 crore paid to 33 victims
Vaishnaw said that an ex gratia amount of Rs 10 lakh was paid to the next of kin of each deceased, Rs 2.5 lakh each to the grievously injured, and Rs one lakh each to those with simple injuries.
'Accordingly, a total amount of Rs 2.01 crore has been paid to 33 victims and their family members," he added.
In March, News18 reported that the ministry had said that on February 15, around 49,000 general tickets were issued at the station—13,000 more than the daily average of tickets sold during the previous six months. The rush was for the Maha Kumbh Mela, which concluded in February.
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