Probe found person with big headload fell on others, led to stampede at New Delhi station: Govt

The Hindu

2 days ago

A big headload falling from one of the passengers triggered the New Delhi railway station stampede that killed 18 people, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told Rajya Sabha on Friday (August 1, 2025).
Also Read | Swelling crowd, continued sale of tickets led to stampede
The Minister, in a written reply, shared the findings of the high-level committee constituted to examine the circumstances leading to the stampede this year on February 15.
He said there was a gradual increase on passengers, many of whom were also carrying big headloads.
Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman asked the Railway Minister about the status of the report of the committee constituted to investigate the stampede and the corrective steps taken by the government.
Also Read | Eyewitnesses recall tragedy, say many collided and fell on stairs and escalators
Mr. Vaishnaw said the high-level inquiry committee has submitted its report for consideration.
"As per findings of the report, an unfortunate incident on 15.02.25 happened on foot overbridge-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.
"There was a gradual increase of passengers 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 stairs, 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 Minister informed the House that in the incident, 18 people lost their lives and 15 others were injured.
According to Mr. Vaishnaw, an ex-gratia amount of Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased, an amount of Rs 2.5 lakh each to the grievously injured and Rs 1 lakh each to other injured has been paid.
"Accordingly, a total amount of Rs 2.01 crore has been paid to 33 victims and their family members," Mr. Vaishnaw said.
The Railway Minister said the government has taken several actions to handle the heavy rush of passengers at stations, including the creation of permanent holding areas and access control measures — allowing passengers with confirmed tickets — at 73 identified stations, widening foot overbridges, installing CCTV cameras, developing war rooms at big stations, among others.