• Moumi Mousumi
• 17 Feb, 2025

A tragic stampede at New Delhi Railway Station left 18 people dead as thousands rushed to board trains heading to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh. Despite the horrific incident crowds continue to push their way onto packed trains. But how did this disaster happen.? Passengers, railway officials and authorities point to five major reasons behind the chaos.

1. Uncontrolled Crowd Surge

On Saturday night thousands of devotees gathered at New Delhi Railway Station to travel to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh. The station’s Ajmeri Gate side was packed beyond capacity as four different trains bound for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were scheduled to depart from the same platform. The massive crowd quickly became uncontrollable raising questions about railway crowd management. Why were these trains not distributed among different stations like Anand Vihar, Old Delhi or Ghaziabad.? Witnesses including vendors and porters stated that they had never seen such an overwhelming rush before. The lack of timely action from railway authorities led to a deadly situation.

2. Last-Minute Platform Change Announcement

Eyewitnesses claim that confusion over platform changes was the biggest trigger for the stampede. Around 9 - 10 PM an announcement informed passengers that the Prayagraj Special train originally scheduled to depart from Platform 12 would now leave from Platform 16. This sudden change caused panic leading to thousands of people rushing across platforms. Delhi Police sources also indicate that the stampede began immediately after this announcement. However railway officials denied making such a change stating that the confusion occurred when passengers from Platform 14 mistakenly rushed toward the special train on Platform 12.

3. Train Name Confusion

Another factor adding to the chaos was the similar names of different trains. Prayagraj Special and Prayagraj Express were both departing at nearly the same time from different platforms. Many travellers, particularly those with general tickets assumed they could board either train. This misunderstanding led to large groups running between platforms further escalating the situation. Such name-related mix - ups have reportedly caused issues in the past as well.

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4. Pickpocketing Panic

Amid the commotion pickpockets took advantage of the situation. Several passengers reported theft incidents and some claimed that blades and knives were used to cut wallets and bags. The fear of being robbed added to the panic making the crowd even more restless.

5. A Passenger's Fall Triggered the Stampede

The railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) mentioned that a passenger lost balance while climbing the stairs leading to a chain reaction of people falling over each other. The overwhelming rush and lack of proper crowd control measures turned the situation deadly.

The Delhi train stampede highlights serious lapses in railway crowd management, communication and passenger safety. The lack of preventive measures despite the predictable Kumbh rush raises concerns over accountability. Authorities must learn from this tragedy to prevent similar disasters in the future.