NEW DELHI: On Monday, a senior railway official clarified that a passenger carrying a heavy load lost his balance on the crowded staircase at the New Delhi railway station, causing the stampede on Saturday evening. It was not because of an “uncontrolled crowd going berserk,” as thought previously.
The official showed video footage of that moment, saying, “The crowd at platform 14 around 8:30 pm was not as large as portrayed. Some passengers, carrying loads on their heads, were on the staircase leading to platform 16, which connects platform 14 to other platforms via the footbridge.
One of these passengers, also carrying a load on his head, lost balance while stepping on the staircase and stumbled onto others in the landing area. This led to a chain reaction, with people falling onto each other in the crowd. The casualties occurred as a result of passengers being struck by luggage and others falling on top of them.”
Asked if the Railway Protection Force’s presence was inadequate, he countered: “Had the officers not been there, how could the situation in the 20-25 feet area on the staircase landing, where the stampede occurred, have been brought under control?”
The official revealed the railways had arranged three special trains on Saturday after 2,600 tickets for passengers travelling to Prayagraj were booked in just one hour.
Explaining the timeline, the official said the stampede occurred at 8:49 pm, and the situation was under control within 30 minutes due to continuous monitoring by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw from the Rail Bhawan war room.
“The Prayagraj Express, delayed by the stampede, departed at 9:30 pm from platform 14 after the RPF and other staff quickly managed the situation,” he stated. He acknowledged that RPF officers and staff did not have any rest in the past month as they were busy ensuring the safety and smooth movement of passengers to Prayagraj. He admitted that the railways had not anticipated the scale of crowds after the Mauni-Amavasya.
He strongly rejected any claims that the railways had attempted to conceal the number of casualties, insisting, “Above all, we are human beings, and how could we be so inhuman? It is utterly ridiculous to spread such doubts about a railway system that manages the movement of such large numbers of passengers daily.”
He said that anticipating a surge in crowds on Mahashivratri day on February 26 and the day later, the Railways had in place elaborate arrangements in stations across the country, including New Delhi railway station and those in UP and Bihar, to keep the crowds calm and organised.