The stampede that happened on Saturday night at New Delhi Railway Station once again showed how weak our railway infrastructure and crowd management are. The risk of such accidents increases even more during big events like Maha Kumbh. 18 people lost their lives in this stampede, including 5 small children, and many people were injured.
How did this stampede happen?
When a special train going to Prayagraj arrived at platform 14, a huge crowd gathered. During this time another train, Prayagraj Special, was about to arrive at platform 16. Wrong announcements and platform confusion caused panic among people, and people on the foot-overbridge started pushing each other. Some people fell down and it stamped and it also became deadly.
Who was at fault?
Railway’s planning was weak – 1,500 general tickets were being sold every hour, but there was no crowd control system at the station.
Security and emergency response was slow – there were no adequate police and RPF personnel at the station.
Infrastructure was weak – the foot-overbridge did not have the capacity to handle such a huge crowd.
Platform Announcement Confusion – People got confused due to trains arriving on different platforms.
What steps did the Railways take?
- A separate platform for special trains – From now on, special trains going to Prayagraj will run only from platform 16.
- Crowd Management Protocols – Entry and exit will be controlled at Prayagraj and other stations.
- Inquiry Committee – A two-member committee has been formed which will submit a final report after taking CCTV footage and eyewitness statements.
- Police & RPF Deployment – Security has been increased at Delhi and Prayagraj railway stations.
Political Reactions and Accountability
Delhi LG VK Saxena had initially written “tragic loss of lives” in his post, but later removed the mention of “deaths”, which increased the controversy.
Mamata Banerjee said that this incident is “deeply heartbreaking” and highlights the government’s planning and management failure.
TMC leader Sagarika Ghose accused the BJP government of “minimum governance, maximum publicity”.
What should happen next?
✅ AI-Based Crowd Management System – There should be AI and surveillance cameras at every big station that track real-time data of the crowd.
✅ Pre-Booking System – Only pre-booked passengers should be given station entry in events like Maha Kumbh.
✅ Better Announcement & Communication System – The announcements of platforms and trains should be clear and in multiple languages so that there is no confusion.
✅ Stronger Foot-Overbridges & Infrastructure – There should be wide footoverbridges and separate entry-exit points to control the crowd.
Conclusion
The stampede at New Delhi Railway Station is a wake-up call. As long as our railway system is not modern and proper crowd management protocols are not followed, such accidents will keep happening. Will this remain another tragedy or will we find something? This is a question not just of the railways, but of the entire system!