NEW DELHI: Under pressure from various quarters, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday held a series of meeting at the Rail Bhavan to take stock of the safety measures during heavy passenger rush. Vaishnaw also met and briefed Home Minister Amit Shah about the stampede at the New Delhi railway station.
Railways announced the names of two high administrative group officials, who will be part of the inquiry committee constituted to probe the stampede at the New Delhi Railway station. Narsingh Deo, Principal Chief Commercial Manager, Northern Railway, and Pankaj Gangwar, Principal Chief Security Commissioner, Northern Railway, are the members of the committee, the railways said.
Railways directed all zones to remain on maximum alert, ensuring the safety of passengers during seasons of heavy footfall, especially in stations dealing with high numbers of passengers traveling to the Maha Kumbh. Sources said nearly 60%-70% of those attending the Kumbh are taking trains.
The railway stations across Uttar Pradesh have been put on high alert following massive convergence of devotees reaching Prayagraj for holy dip at Sangam. Prayagraj and its neighbouring districts, including Ayodhya, Gonda, Varanasi, Fatehpur, Gorakhpur and Lucknow experienced huge crowd on railway stations.
ADG, Railways, Prakash D has issued directives to the authorities concerned to ensure deployment of GRP personnel on all stations across the state.
Heightened alert has been sounded on railway stations across Madhya Pradesh, with security being beefed, particularly at the Katni and Satna stations of the West Central Railway (WCR). “’There is a huge rush of devotees bound to Maha Kumbh. The rush is at its peak in Katni and Satna, the two stations on the route of long-distance trains coming from central, western and southern India to Prayagraj,” police said.
In Satna, in-charge IG of Rewa Saket Pandey along with administrative, health and railway officials, held a meeting on Sunday afternoon and decided to raise the number of GRP and RPF jawans up to four times at key stations.
All trains towards Prayagraj from Jharkhand are overcrowded, with even people with valid reservation tickets finding it hard to board trains. According to a passenger from Hazaribagh, Premchand Prasad, who boarded the train from Koderma, trains are running without ticket collectors and RPF jawans as even they are not able to board the trains. The East Central Railway has bolstered safety measures as most passengers from Bihar are bound for Prayagraj.
Major stampedes across country
Jan 29, 2025: 30 killed and 60 injured at Maha Kumbh
July 2, 2024: 121, most of whom women, lost during a ‘satsang’ by godman Bhole Baba in Hathras, UP
March 31, 2023: 36 died when a well collapsed during Ram Navami at Indore temple
January 1, 2022: 12 died and over a dozen injured at Vaishno Devi shrine in J&K due to heavy rush of devotees
September 29, 2017: 23 dead and 36 injured in a stampede on a bridge connecting Elphinstone Road station with Parel station of Central Railway in Mumbai
July 14, 2015: 27 pilgrims died and 20 injured at a bathing spot along Godavari where devotees gathered for festival in Rajahmundry, AP
October 3, 2014: 32 killed and 26 injured at Gandhi Maidan in Patna, shortly after Dussehra celebrations ended
October 13, 2013: 115 killed and over 100 injured during Navratri near Ratangarh temple in MP’s Datia
January 25, 2005: Over 340 devotees trampled to death and hundreds injured during a pilgrimage at Satara temple
August 3, 2008: 162 dead, 47 hurt at Naina Devi temple in Himachal’s Bilaspur
September 30, 2008: 250 devotees killed and 60 hurt in a stampede following rumours of a bomb at Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur
March 4, 2010: 63 killed at Ram Janki Temple in UP’s Pratapgarh where people gathered to collect clothes and food from a godman
January 14, 2011: 104 Sabarimala devotees killed and over 40 injured when a jeep crashed into homebound pilgrims in Kerala’s Idukki
November 8, 2011: 20 killed in Haridwar at Har-ki-Pauri ghat along the Ganga
November 19, 2012: 20 killed and several injured as a makeshift bridge caved in, triggering a stampede during Chhath Puja at Adalat Ghat in Patna
