New Delhi Train Station Stampede
Allison Bennett
Staff Writer
On February 15, 2025, two trains were delayed at the New Delhi Railway Station in India’s capital, while a third train, heading to Prayagraj City- where Kumbh Mela, a massive Hindu religious festival, was being held- was waiting to depart. Due to the delays, the crowd pushed against each other, causing a stampede that killed 18 people and injured many more. Authorities say the incident occurred after some passengers slipped and fell on others while coming down from a footbridge that connects train platforms.
Al Jazeera reports that Ashwini Vaishnaw, India’s Minister of Railways, said four trains had been deployed to “evacuate” a sudden and unprecedented surge of travelers at the station. An investigation was ordered to find out what went wrong. A man who witnessed the events told India’s ANI news agency that, “people were running across platforms and there was a chaotic situation that led to people falling on each other.” Video footage shared on social media showed people being jostled as they tried to force their way onto packed trains.
Sheela Devi, who lost her daughter-in-law in the stampedes, is quoted by The saying that “an announcement about a change of train platforms created confusion among the passengers that led to the stampede”.
Vaishnaw said a “high-level inquiry” had been ordered into the causes of the accident, as well as additional special trains being run from Delhi to clear the rush of the devotees. NDTV reports that the investigation revealed that a senior Railway Police Force official had asked the station manager not to issue any more tickets after he sensed that the crowd had become too large, and an uncontrollable situation could arise. However, by then, but thousands were already on the platforms. A report made by one of the injured women noted that while the stampede began around 9:15 p.m., the first call to the fire brigade was not made until 40 minutes later, at around 9:55 p.m.
The Kumbh Mela attracts tens of millions of Hindu faithful every 12 years to the northern city of Prayagraj and has a history of crowd-related disasters. The Guardian reports that just last month, at least 30 people died in a crush at the holy confluence of the Ganes, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers. It is said that crowd crushes regularly occur at India’s major religious festivals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on the social platform X, “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 the stampede,” CBS News writes.
In 2013, at least 36 people were crushed to death the last time the festival was held in Prayagraj. On a single day of the festival in 1954, more than 400 people died after they were trampled or drowned.
India’s railway system is the fourth-largest train network in the world and has witnessed several serious accidents within the last two years, including a 2023 collision that killed at least 288 people.
Image courtesy of Getty Images.