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A stampede occurred at New Delhi Railway Station, resulting in the loss of 15 lives on Saturday. The incident happened around 10 pm when thousands of devotees were heading to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh 2025 festival, causing severe overcrowding at the station.
An eyewitness, an Indian Air Force (IAF) sergeant on Sunday recounted that despite announcements and efforts to convince people to avoid gathering in large numbers, the crowd remained unmanageable. He said the administration attempted to control the crowd, but people didn't listen.
Speaking to the news agency ANI, Ajit said, "We have a tri-service office at the railway station. When I was returning after my duty, I couldn't go as there was a huge crowd... I tried to convince people and also made announcements appealing to people to avoid gathering on the platform in large numbers. The administration was working hard to prevent any mishap, but no one was listening... I also helped the injured people with the help of one of my friends."
Another eyewitness recounted the horror, saying that the crowd was beyond the limit.
"The crowd was beyond the limit, people were gathered at the (foot over) bridge... Such a huge crowd wasn't expected. I have never seen such a massive crowd at the railway station, even during the festivals. People from the administration and even NDRF personnel were there, but when the crowd exceeded the limit, it wasn't possible to control them," he said.
One of the victim's brothers at the LNJP hospital, who lost his sister in the stampede, said, "We were 12 people going to Maha Kumbh. We hadn't even reached the platform but were at the stairs... My family, including my sister, were stuck in the crowd. We found her after half an hour, and by the time she was dead."
Another eyewitness described the chaos, stating that the crowd came from both sides after an announcement about a train platform change, leading to the stampede.
"There was no one to control the crowd... It was announced that the train coming on platform number 12 would come on platform number 16. So the crowd came from both sides and a stampede occurred...some people were taken to the hospital...," he said.
Delays in train departures and the sale of around 1,500 general tickets exacerbated the situation and contributed to the overwhelming crowd.
Among the affected passengers, Pappu, a resident of Bihar's Patna, shared his grief, saying, "My mother died in the stampede. We were on our way home."
NDRF Commandant Daulat Ram Chaudhary confirmed that the situation was now under control. "...The situation is under control now. The injured have been evacuated...We received information about a stampede at platform no. 14 at the station... We are carrying out the rescue operations..."
DCP Railway KPS Malhotra stated that while the authorities had anticipated a large crowd, the incident unfolded within moments.
"We expected the crowd, but it all happened in a fraction of time, and hence this situation occurred. The fact-finding will be done by the Railways... After inquiry, we will get to know the reason behind the incident," he told ANI.
Meanwhile, the Railway Board, on Sunday, informed that a two-member high-level committee had been formed to investigate the matter and determine the cause of the stampede at New Delhi railway station.
"A two-member high-level committee has been formed to investigate the matter... The situation is under control, and the passengers have been sent by special train... Train movement at the railway station is normal now," Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information & Publicity (ED/IP), Railway Board.
According to Mr Kumar, the station was experiencing an unusually high volume of passengers, prompting the railways to operate four additional special trains to manage the crowd.
To regain control of the situation, entry to the railway station was temporarily blocked.
"The number of passengers was relatively very high today at the New Delhi railway station, and so we ran four more special trains. We received information that a few people fainted - they have been admitted to a local hospital. We blocked entry to the railway station for a while, but the situation is under control now," added Mr Kumar.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Railway, KPS Malhotra, the incident occurred when a large number of passengers gathered on platform no. 14, where the Prayagraj Express was stationed. Additionally, delays in the departures of Swatantrata Senani Express and Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani led to further congestion at platforms 12, 13, and 14.