A report from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has revealed a significant delay of over 40 minutes in making the distress call following the deadly stampede at New Delhi railway station on February 15, 2025. The stampede tragically claimed the lives of 18 people. The delay in response is raising concerns about the efficiency of the emergency protocol.
The Railways' official communication stated that the stampede occurred at 9:15 pm. However, the Delhi Fire Services received the first distress call from the Delhi Police at 9:55 pm, indicating a 40-minute delay.
This timeline was in contrast to the RPF’s internal report, which accessed by various sources, showing that the stampede actually occurred at 8:48 pm, and that the information had been provided to the on-duty station in charge shortly thereafter.
On the day of the incident, platforms 12 to 16 at New Delhi station were overcrowded, primarily due to passengers travelling to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh.
According to the RPF's report, a large crowd began gathering on platform 12 after the Shivganga Express departed at 8:00 pm. The situation worsened as more passengers arrived, leading to heavy congestion.
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To manage the crowd, the station director, along with the RPF’s assistant security commissioner and their staff, went to foot overbridges 2 and 3 to control the flow of passengers. The RPF inspector recommended running special Kumbh trains earlier than scheduled to help alleviate the rush.
Additionally, the inspector suggested halting the sale of tickets for Prayagraj, where 1,500 tickets were being sold every hour, to prevent further congestion on platforms 12-16.
At around 8:45 pm, an announcement was made that a Kumbh special train would arrive on platform 12. Shortly after, another announcement indicated that the train would instead arrive on platform 16.
As a result, passengers on platforms 12 to 16 began moving toward the foot overbridges, while others heading for the Magadh Express, Sampark Kranti, and Prayagraj trains attempted to descend the stairs. This large movement of passengers caused some people to slip and fall, triggering the stampede.
Also Read: Confusion over train names, delays led to NDLS stampede: Police
Of the 18 victims, nine were women, five were children, and four were men. The oldest victim was 79 years old, while the youngest was a seven-year-old girl. In response to the tragedy, the Railways announced compensation for the victims' families: Rs 10 lakh for the families of those who died, Rs 2.5 lakh for those who were seriously injured, and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries.
Reporters reached out to the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northern Railway, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, regarding the delay in the distress call.
However, a response has yet to be received. The details outlined in the RPF’s report and the discrepancies in the response timeline have sparked serious questions about the handling of the emergency and the adequacy of measures in place to prevent such incidents.
Also Read: Centre to establish holding zones, deploy AI at stations post-stampede
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