Dikhyaa Mohanty 
At least 18 people, including 11 women and four children, died after a huge rush of passengers caused by two delayed trains and a special Express train to Maha Kumbh led to a stampede at the New Delhi Railway station on Saturday night. Over a dozen people have also been injured in the incident and are undergoing treatment at nearby hospitals. The incident took place around 9.55 pm, prompting an emergency response from authorities. The Ministry of Railways has ordered an inquiry into the “unfortunate” incident and formed a two-member high-level committee to investigate the matter.
Delays in train departures and the selling of roughly 1,500 public tickets aggravated the situation and led to the overwhelming crowd, authorities added. According to the police, platforms number 13 and 14 at the New Delhi Railway station were already congested as many passengers were waiting to board two trains – Swatantrata Senani and Bhubaneswar Rajdhani – which were delayed. During this time, the Prayagraj Express, a special train for Maha Kumbh, was scheduled to depart from platform number 14 at 10:10 p.m.
There was already a rush, but as the train to Prayagraj drew closer, more and more people began to congregate on the platform. According to authorities, people purchased over a thousand public tickets to visit Maha Kumbh during this period. Furthermore, a rumor circulated that the Prayagraj Express would arrive on a different station. A stampede erupted as a result of the people shoving one another and hurrying for the stairs.
Since special trains are set up for the Maha Kumbh, a great celebration that only happens once every twelve years, there has been a recent surge in such instances. The Swatantrata Senani Express, which travels to Delhi via Prayagraj, had its glass panes broken earlier this week by some passengers at the Madhubani railway station in Bihar who were unable to board the train.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X and said, “Distressed by the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured have a speedy recovery. The authorities are assisting all those who have been affected by this stampede.”
