New Delhi railway station stampede was triggered by baggage dropped by passenger, minister tells Parl

A tragic stampede at New Delhi railway station in February, wherein 18 lives have been misplaced, was triggered by a big piece of baggage falling from a passenger’s head, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw knowledgeable Parliament on Friday (August 1).

The incident, described because the deadliest railway station tragedy since Mumbai’s Elphinstone Street stampede in 2017, which killed 23 folks, had prompted widespread criticism and requires systemic adjustments.

What occurred on the night time of February 15?

The chaos unfolded on February 15 round 8:48 pm on a foot-over-bridge connecting platforms 14 and 15, throughout the night rush hour between 9:15 and 9:30 pm. 1000’s of passengers had flooded the station, lots of whom have been heading to Bihar-bound trains throughout the Maha Kumbh pageant in Prayagraj.

“There was an enormous headload falling from one of many passengers and the stress was handed on to the steps of platforms 14/15, ensuing within the tripping of passengers,” Vaishnaw defined in his parliamentary reply.

The slim 25-foot-wide footbridge, already congested with passengers carrying giant headloads, grew to become a lethal bottleneck. Submit-mortem reviews confirmed that the victims succumbed to traumatic asphyxia.

A committee investigating the incident discovered that whereas crowd administration protocols have been in place, the passenger density on the foot-over-bridge had surged after 8:15 pm.

Railway data, cited by Hindustan Occasions, revealed that 7,600 unreserved tickets have been bought that night, with gross sales peaking at 1,500 per hour as crowds started gathering from 6:00 pm. The committee famous that the heavy headloads carried by many passengers considerably hindered motion on the slim bridge, contributing to the disaster.

Railway consultants have sharply criticised the incident, with some labelling it a “fully avoidable incident” and a case of “traditional mismanagement.”

Indian Railways implements preventive measures

In response, Indian Railways is rolling out intensive measures to stop future tragedies at 73 stations recognized as vulnerable to heavy passenger rushes.

Minister Vaishnaw outlined plans for everlasting holding areas exterior these stations, constructing on momentary preparations examined throughout the 2024 pageant season.

Pilot initiatives are already underway at key stations, together with New Delhi, Anand Vihar, Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Ghaziabad. Below the brand new system, passengers will solely entry platforms when their trains arrive, lowering congestion inside stations.

To additional improve security, Indian Railways will implement full entry management at these 73 stations.

Passengers with confirmed reserved tickets will acquire direct platform entry, whereas these with out tickets or on ready lists might be directed to designated ready areas exterior.

Unauthorised entry factors might be sealed to make sure tighter management.

Moreover, slim foot-over-bridges might be changed with wider 12-meter and 6-meter designs outfitted with ramps, a mannequin confirmed efficient throughout the latest Mahakumbh pageant.