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An investigation into the deadly stampede at New Delhi railway station on Saturday, which killed 18 - including five children - has revealed that a senior Railway Police Force (RPF) official had asked the station manager not to issue any more tickets after he sensed that the crowd had become too large and an uncontrollable situation could arise, but thousands were already on the platforms by then, sources have told News Agency.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has, however, said that there was no extraordinary rush at the station.
Sources said an RPF investigation report into the incident found that four trains to Prayagraj were scheduled to leave the New Delhi railway station between 8.15 pm and 10.10 pm - a span of just two hours - resulting in a massive crowd of Maha Kumbh devotees descending on the platforms. Reports had said that, on average, nearly 1,500 general tickets were sold at the station every hour and many more were purchased online.
The RPF report said that the Shiv Ganga Express, between New Delhi and Varanasi via Prayagraj, was scheduled to depart from platform number 12 at 8.15 pm, the Magadh Express to West Bengal's Islampur via Prayagraj from platform number 14 at 9 pm and the Prayagraj Express from the same platform at 10.10 pm. By the time the Shiv Ganga Express left, thousands of passengers could not make it on the crowded train and that's when they found out that a special train would leave for Prayagraj from platform 16.
This sparked a frenzy and, the report said, the big mass of people began trying to make its way from platform 12 to 16 to board the special train using foot overbridges two and three. In addition to the usual rush, a crowd of people was already heading for platform 14 for the two trains to Prayagraj and the overflow from platform 12 joined this throng. This, the report said, led to the stampede.
The report mentions that when the crowd began to swell to a point that the situation seemed to be headed out of control, the Assistant Security Commissioner of the RPF asked the station manager not to issue any more tickets, but thousands were already on the platforms and foot overbridges by then. A call was also made for all on-duty and off-duty staff to reach the platform and foot overbridges and the station director was asked to order the special train to Prayagraj to leave as soon as it was full.
It also notes a statement from one of the injured women that while the stampede began at 9.15 pm, the first call to the fire brigade was made 40 minutes later, at 9.55 pm.
Authorities' Take
A spokesperson for the Railway Board said more information is being gathered.
"A committee has been formed to investigate the matter through which information will be obtained from all the officers and inspectors posted at the station, after which the committee will submit the report to the zonal railway," the spokesperson said.
On Monday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had ruled out any conspiracy behind the stampede at the New Delhi station and emphasised that there was no extraordinary rush either.
"No conspiracy looks at the moment (sic)," the minister was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Stating that the information he had till then showed that there was no extraordinary rush at the New Delhi railway station, he also dismissed reports of a platform change announcement as a cause of the stampede. "The inquiry committee is looking into it deeply," he said.