Delhi station stampede: RPF says 2 announcements led to chaos
What's the story
At least 18 people died in a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station on February 15.
A report by the Railway Protection Force has now blamed the tragedy on two announcements made three minutes apart regarding the departure platform for a Prayagraj-bound Kumbh Special train.
The first announcement asked passengers to head to Platform 12, while a later one referred to Platform 16.
Escalating chaos
Crowd surge worsens situation, RPF report reveals
The RPF report further detailed that passengers from platforms 12 to 15 rushed toward pedestrian bridges 2 and 3 after these announcements.
Meanwhile, other passengers were coming down the stairs, resulting in overcrowding and jostling.
The situation worsened further when the Shiv Ganga Express left from Platform 12 at around 8:15pm significantly adding to the number of passengers.
Crowd control
RPF's crowd management efforts and further complications
After assessing the crowd, the assistant security commissioner ordered the station director to stop ticket sales and speed up the departure of trains.
"Through announcements all on-duty and off-duty staff were directed to reach the platform and pedestrian bridges," the inspector in charge said in the report.
"Soon after, another announcement was made that the special train will depart from platform number 16. It led to a stampede-like situation among passengers."
Tragic outcome
Stampede ensues amid panic and infrastructure issues
The report further said that due to the presence of passengers of Magadh Express, Uttar Sampark Kranti Express, and Prayajraj Express at platform number 14 and 15, the movement of passengers stopped.
Eyewitnesses said some people fainted due to overcrowding, triggering panic and chaos.
The incident was worsened by delayed trains, a faulty escalator, and a blocked staircase, which acted as a catalyst for the tragedy.
Aftermath response
Investigation and compensation announced following tragedy
In the wake of the tragedy, the Railways Ministry has launched a six-month-long campaign to improve passenger safety.
This will include color-coded enclosures and advanced technology for crowd monitoring. Special "holding areas" with designated pathways will be set up at 60 high-traffic stations that often witness overcrowding during events like Maha Kumbh.
The Indian Railways also announced compensation for victims' families—₹10 lakh for those who died, ₹2.5 lakh for those seriously injured, and ₹1 lakh for those with minor injuries.