Day after stampede, chaos prevails at Delhi railway station

A day after a tragic stampede at the New Delhi station claimed 18 lives, chaotic scenes persisted on Sunday as passengers continued to rush for their trains. Despite the tragedy, crowds thronged the platforms, with passengers boarding and de-boarding trains in a frenzy.

Oppn seeks Vaishnaw’s Resignation

• Opposition parties on Sunday condemned the “gross mismanagement” by the Railways in the aftermath of a stampede at New Delhi railway station, which claimed the lives of 18 persons. They demanded Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s resignation, holding him morally responsible for the tragedy
• They accused the government of failing to make proper arrangements and allegedly covering up the scale of the disaster. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the Centre for trying to “hide the truth” about the incident

At Platform No. 16, near where the stampede occurred on Saturday night, similar scenes unfolded as the Bihar Samparkranti train arrived. Passengers sprinted toward their coaches, with many using emergency windows to secure seats and throw luggage inside. Families helped elderly relatives, children and women climb into the train, highlighting the desperation to avoid missing their journeys.

Vijay, a platform ticket holder who came to drop off his family, criticised the lack of crowd management. “People are so afraid of missing their trains that they forget everything else. The arrangements for boarding are poor and there’s nothing to stop the rush,” he said.

Seeta, a passenger travelling to Darbhanga, expressed frustration, saying. “What can we do? We earn very little, and it takes months to arrange trips to our hometowns. Unlike others, we don’t get long holidays, so we can’t afford to miss our trains,” she said.

While security personnel had tied ropes along the platforms to control the crowd, passengers complained about inadequate arrangements. “What happened to those 18 persons is heartbreaking and it shouldn’t have happened. The authorities need to ensure proper security and prevent panic in such large crowds,” Seeta added.