LIVE | 18 dead in Delhi stampede; railway station remains overcrowded amid heavy rush

'Very sad' incident: Nitish Kumar on Delhi stampede

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday described the deadly stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station that claimed 18 lives as a "very sad" incident.

In a brief statement to the media after arriving in the national capital, Kumar said his government will help the stampede victims from Bihar.

Asked about the stampede, Kumar said, "I got to know about it. This is a very sad incident. There are people from Bihar as well... we have decided to help their families".

The Bihar government has announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of those from Bihar who died in the stampede and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

Tight security, barricaded gates at Lok Nayak hospital

Hundreds of paramilitary personnel were deployed and the entry and exit gates sealed, denying access to everyone except medical staff at the LNJP hospital, where victims were brought hours after a deadly stampede at the New Delhi railway station late on Saturday evening that left at least 18 people dead and more than a dozen injured.

There was a heavy deployment of paramilitary forces outside the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narain (LNJP) Hospital and the gates to the facility were barricaded with police ropes, preventing entry. All the entry and exit gates were sealed, with security personnel enforcing strict access control.

Visitors were thoroughly checked and only those with official reports were allowed inside the Delhi government-run hospital.

Even media personnel were denied access, with strict orders in place to restrict movement within the hospital premises.

Some distraught family members were not allowed to enter the casualty and orthopaedic departments, where the injured were being treated.

Desperate to locate their missing loved ones among the admitted patients, they were turned away after officials merely checked the lists in their possession.

Many of them complained that none of the hospitals, where the victims were taken, allowed them to search for their relatives and denied them the opportunity to file missing complaints.

At the LNJP Hospital, which received the highest number of victims, the atmosphere was tense.

A walk through the campus revealed an unusually low number of people compared to a normal day. Security checks were being conducted at every ward, allowing only one person to enter at a time.

Inside, everyone was being questioned and no one was allowed near the ward where the stampede victims were admitted.

Each injured patient was accompanied by three to four police personnel or medical staff to prevent unauthorised contact. Even as the patients were taken for MRI scans and other tests, they remained under strict police supervision.

These wards had no regular patients and even the family members of the victims were not allowed to meet them.

The mortuary was locked. By 9:30 am, all the formalities related to post-mortem were completed. The bodies of the deceased were handed over to their families, who then left for their respective places.

Security stepped up at key railway stations across UP

Stringent protocols are being enforced at key railway stations in Uttar Pradesh such as Prayagraj, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Kanpur, Lucknow and Mirzapur following the stampede at the New Delhi railway station and the massive crowds arriving for the Maha Kumbh.

North Central Railway's Shashikant Tripathi told PTI, "We are strictly adhering to the previously established protocols, which were successfully implemented during festivals like Mauni Amavasya and Basant Panchami." At Prayagraj Junction, entry is restricted to the city side, and passengers are kept in a 'holding area' until their train arrives. RPF Inspector Shiv Kumar said that crowd control measures are "effective".

In Varanasi, Ashok Kumar from the North Eastern Railway said the same protocols are in place at Jhunsi and Rambagh stations, where passengers are held in secure areas until their train arrives.

The security at Varanasi Junction has also been tightened after the Delhi incident.

Station Director Arpit Gupta confirmed that vehicle entry is banned around the station, barriers have been placed at key locations, and security forces monitor the crowd. "CCTV cameras track activity around the clock, and platform changes are communicated at least 90 minutes in advance to prevent stampedes," he said.

Following the Delhi stampede, heightened security measures have also been implemented at Ayodhya's railway stations. Separate entry and exit points have been established for pilgrims, and personnel from the GRP and RPF are ensuring safety. Over 300 staff members and 200 CCTV cameras have been deployed to handle the daily influx of around 1.5 lakh passengers.

Ayodhya RPF Inspector Yashwant Singh said that the railway forces are vigilant and are using CCTV for surveillance. Special trains are running daily to manage the crowd, he added.

Lucknow Joint Commissioner of Police Amit Verma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Central Raveena Tyagi and Railway Director Prashant Kumar were seen at the Charbagh railway station, where they took stock of the situation and oversaw measures to improve the station's system.

Joint CP Amit Verma said, "We are here to ensure the safety and convenience of passengers. All necessary measures are being implemented to avoid overcrowding." Police have been deployed in large numbers, and the station has been equipped with improved facilities to ensure that no untoward incident occurs in Lucknow.

In Kanpur, District Magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh conducted a security review at Kanpur Central, instructing local authorities to ensure stronger safety protocols and prevent platform changes before train arrivals.

While Mirzapur has a relatively lighter crowd, additional precautions are in place to avoid overcrowding. 

New Delhi Railway Station remains overcrowded hours after deadly stampede

A day after a deadly stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station claimed 18 lives, the station remained overcrowded on Sunday, with thousands of passengers struggling to board trains amid heavy rush.

Despite additional measures, the influx of passengers -- several of them Maha Kumbh pilgrims travelling to Prayagraj -- has continued with the sheer volume of travellers making the situation difficult to handle for authorities.

The stampede occurred at around 10 pm on Saturday when a surge of passengers, confused by a mix-up in train announcements, rushed toward platform 16 via a narrow stairway.

Trapped between those trying to move up and others trying to descend, the crowd turned into a human bottleneck. Within minutes, panic spread, and people began falling, leading to a horrifying crush.

Yet, the congestion remained largely unchanged several hours later, with thousands still jostling for space on platforms and foot-over bridges.

"Even after what happened, the situation is the same. We are trying our best, but the number of people is too high," said an RPF officer stationed at platform 16.

With general tickets being issued at an estimated rate of 1,500 per hour, the passenger surge continues to strain resources.

Prayagraj special trains are departing at more than double their capacity, with people clinging to doors, stuffing themselves into packed compartments, and even climbing through train windows in desperation.

At the New Delhi-Bihar Sampark Kranti Express, which does not even travel to Prayagraj, the rush was so intense that passengers pushed and shoved their way into the train. RPF personnel had to physically close doors to prevent further overcrowding.

In a distressing incident, a girl aged around 15 years was seen crying inside the overcrowded train due to suffocation, while her mother, who couldn't board the train due to the rush wept helplessly.

"Don't worry, you will reach safely," she said, trying to reassure her child as the packed train departed, leaving many families separated.

"The number of people inside the train was so high that no one could even move. If anything had gone wrong inside, it would have been impossible to get out," said a stranded passenger.

Additional RPF personnel have been deployed, and senior officials are making regular rounds of the station to monitor the situation. The foot-over bridges and staircases, where Saturday's disaster unfolded, remain crowded as pilgrims rush toward their trains.

Railway officials acknowledge that the passenger surge is overwhelming but say efforts are being made to manage the situation. The rush to Prayagraj is expected to continue for days, making crowd control a constant challenge.

"We are working at full capacity, but the crowd is too much. Managing such a large number of people is not easy," said an RPF official.

Meanwhile, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has ordered a high-level inquiry into the accident and announced additional special trains to manage the rush.

Two senior officials have been appointed to investigate the causes of the stampede, but on the ground, the crowd remains difficult to manage. 

Family in Bihar loses three members, including 11-year-old-girl in stampede

Sunaina Devi of Muzaffarpur in Bihar recalls the scream she heard over the phone from her daughter-in-law in Delhi, whom she had called to enquire if her 11-year-old granddaughter Suruchi had left for Prayagraj.

"My daughter-in-law's parents live in Samastipur. They had recently gone to Delhi with the plan to attend Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj along with other family members," recalls the resident of Bahadurpur village on Sunday.

"Nothing could have prepared me to hear the deafening scream on Saturday night after which the call got disconnected, leaving me in fear of the worst", she said.

Sunaina Devi's husband Naresh Sah said, "I am a daily wage labourer. I reached home last night around 10 pm, after a day's hard work. I found my wife weeping and muttering incoherently. I could only understand that she had learnt something terrible from my son and daughter-in-law".

"So I started frantically trying to contact my son Manoj whom I could contact around midnight. He told us that Suruchi and her maternal grandparents died in the stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station", says Sah.

District administration officials reached the house of Sah at Bahadurpur village on Sunday and assured the family of all help.

At least 18 people were killed in the overnight stampede at the packed New Delhi Railway Station, with a senior railway official saying on Sunday that the incident occurred after some passengers slipped and fell on others while coming down from a footover bridge.

More than a dozen people were also injured in the stampede on Saturday night at the railway station which witnessed a surge of passengers waiting to board trains for Prayagraj -- where the Maha Kumbh is underway -- on platform number 14 and 15 of the station.

AAP accuses govt of trying to cover up stampede at New Delhi rail station

The Aam Aadmi Party Sunday demanded adequate compensation for the victims of the stampede at New Delhi railway station as it accused the government of trying to cover up the incident that claimed 18 lives and rendered several injured.

At a press conference, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, citing witnesses, alleged an announcement of platform change for trains was the reason behind the stampede.

"It is being said that an announcement was made about a train's platform change from 12 to 14. That was also the cause of the stampede. Was railways not aware that such an announcement may cause a stampede?" Singh posed.

The senior AAP leader slammed the BJP government accusing it of trying to cover up the incident. Some people are claiming that the number of dead was more than what has been announced officially, he said.

"They are trying to deny that such an incident happened. How long will the government's tendency of dilly-dallying and insensitivity will continue? When will the government and the Railway minister's responsibility be fixed, asked Singh, citing various rail-related accidents.

The Northern Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Himanshu Upadhyay said that at the time of the incident, the Patna-bound Magadh Express was standing at platform number 14 and the New Delhi-Jammu Uttar Sampark Kranti Express was stationed at platform number 15.

"Some people who were coming down from the footover bridge towards platform numbers 14 and 15 using stairs slipped and fell on others," he said, citing the cause of the stampede.

Extending the Aam Aadmi Party's condolences to the families of the deceased, Singh demanded adequate compensation for the affected persons and fixing the railways minister's responsibility in the incident. 

People trampled over each other: survivors recall horror of stampede

 As a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night claimed 18 lives, survivors of the tragic incident on Sunday recalled the horrors that unfolded before their eyes.

A daily wage labourer from Prayagraj presently living in Noida, Anirudh had been trying to book a ticket to his hometown for days. Unable to secure one due to the huge rush of people heading to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh, he opted for a general ticket.

Recalling the horrors of Saturday night, Anirudh said, "No one was walking; people were just pushing each other to move ahead. I saw women falling to the ground and others trampling over them. People didn't even realise they were walking over human beings who were alive." The station was already crowded when he reached there but there was still space to sit until 9 pm, Anirudh said. However, as soon as an announcement was made – he was unsure whether it was for a train to Prayagraj or another destination – people suddenly started running.

“I saw women falling to the ground right in front of me. There was chaos, with people crying for help,” he said. A frequent traveller to Prayagraj, Anirudh described the situation as uncontrollable, with people screaming that someone was trapped underneath the crowd.

The porters and the bystanders tried to pull out those who had fallen down but the rush was so intense that little could be done, he said.

Rohit, a resident of Rohtak who was travelling to the Maha Kumbh with his mother, struggled to hold onto her hand amid the commotion, as she slipped and fell on the tracks.

“I was going to the Kumbh with my mother and sister. As our train was announced, people suddenly started running towards another platform, creating chaos. In the chaos, my mother's hand slipped from mine and she fell onto the tracks, fracturing her arm," he said, adding that he immediately called for an ambulance but it took almost an hour to arrive.

Another passenger Radha said she reached the railway station around 7 pm but found it difficult to get inside due to the rush.

“After some time, people started screaming in panic. I was near the gate so I rushed out. Later, I found out that a stampede had broken out,” she said.

According to sources, several injured persons were taken to the LNJP Hospital, from where some left against medical advice. 

Several people got trapped, no one came to rescue: Relative of stampede victim

Among those killed in a stampede at the New Delhi Railway station on Saturday evening, was Pinki Devi who had set out on a pilgrimage to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh with her family.

Pinki, a resident of Sangam Vihar, is survived by her two children -- a 13-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son.

Pintu Sharma, her relative, said their group of 14 to 15 members had confirmed tickets and was moving towards the platform when the stampede broke out. Several people got trapped but no one came to rescue, Sharma said.

He alleged that the stampede occurred due to the mismanagement at the railway station.

“This has happened due to the negligence at the railway station. The railway authority should have informed the passengers about train cancellations or rescheduling around three to four hours before so that there would not be a huge crowd at the station,” he said.

He further claimed that police arrived later at the scene.

Officials said the chaos occurred at platform numbers 14 and 15 due to the overwhelming number of passengers waiting to board trains for Prayagraj, where the Maha Kumbh is underway.

Govt tried to cover up stampede, Railway minister should resign: TMC

Trinamool Congress leaders have accused the Centre of trying to cover up the stampede at the New Delhi Railway station, and demanded that Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw be sacked.

In a post on X, TMC Rajya Sabha deputy leader Sagarika Ghose accused the government of "callously playing with the lives of Indian citizens" and called it "tragic beyond words".

"First Narendra Modi and his BJP deny any stampede. Then they call it a rumour. Then they admit a 'few people' 'injured'. Then BJP is forced accept a 'few' "may have" died," Ghose said in a post on X.

"The jumla party and its jumla government keeps covering up deaths and tragedy again and again and callously playing with the lives of Indian citizens. The 'minimum governance, maximum publicity' mantra of the Modi government is again exposed by the shocking New Delhi station stampede.Tragic beyond words," she said.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale demanded that Vaishnaw should either be sacked or resign, as he slammed the Railways for trying to "cover up" the incident.

"Extremely shocked to hear about the deaths of 17 people and injuries sustained by many during the tragic stampede at New Delhi Railway Station last night. My condolences to the families of the deceased and praying for a swift recovery of those injured," Gokhale said in a post on X.

"For hours after the stampede, Railways kept denying it and said it 'was a rumour'. This was a brazen attempt at cover-up until the bodies started showing up," he said.

"Modi's part-time Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, yet again, has blood on his hands," he charged.

"If Mr Vaishnaw has any sense of responsibility, he must resign. If PM Modi has even an iota of shame or concern for people's lives, he must sack Ashwini Vaishnaw immediately," he said.

"Heads must roll! Lives of India cannot be treated so cheaply," he said.

The TMC MP said this is the second Kumbh related stampede, and accused the Uttar Pradesh government of making the Kumbh Mela a "PR activity".

"This is a disaster that was preventable - we have been seeing images and videos every day of extremely crowded trains going to Prayagraj with Kumbh pilgrims. The sacred Kumbh Mela has been turned into a PR activity by the Modi and Yogi Government," he said.

Noting that this is the second case of deaths due to Kumbh-related stampedes, he said millions of people have been encouraged to rush to Prayagraj without making arrangements for logistics or their safety.

He added the situation of Indian Railways has been worsening everyday.

"There have been an increasing number of deaths on Indian Railways and the situation continues to worsen every day. And yet, the minister prefers to share video reels than address the problems of safety and overcrowding," he said.