Porters turn saviours amidst chaos at station

As panic gripped the New Delhi Railway station during the stampede on Saturday night, messiahs came in red shirts, with arm badges and white gamchas (cloth) draped over their shoulders – the porters.

The porters did everything possible within their limits to de-clutter the foot over bridge and carryied the injured.

They did everything they could using their cloth and hand carts.

Jitesh, one of the porters present at the station, recounted the horrific moments of the incident.

“Around 9.15 - 9.30 pm, my colleagues and I were inside the station while some were at the platform. As the crowd began to swell, we quickly spread the message to those outside,” he said.

Despite the efforts of security personnel, the surging crowd made movement nearly impossible. Realising the urgency, the porters coordinated among themselves to control the situation.

“We asked the porters outside to request security personnel to shut the entry gates to prevent further chaos,” Jitesh added. “We used handcarts to pick up the injured who were lying on the FOB, staircase and platforms. Some of us wrapped children in our gamchas and brought them to safety.”

Shyam, a taxi driver who witnessed the scene from outside, praised the porters for their quick response.

“If they hadn’t been there, this tragedy could have been worse,” he said. “I saw them forming human chains to help people exit safely. They were the real messiahs that night, stepping in when the security officials were still figuring things out.”

Uday, another porter, recalled that the crowd had been swelling since 6 pm and had only worsened by 9.30 pm.

“Families were panicking, watching people fall. We somehow made our way through the crowd to lift the injured,” Uday said. “All of us rushed to gather whatever we could — autos, ambulances — anything that could help transport the injured to hospitals.”

Having worked at the station for over a decade, Uday admitted he had never witnessed such a chaotic situation.

Another porter said: “We carried at least 15 bodies to the ambulance. All that remained on the platform were scattered shoes and torn clothes. When passengers waiting at Platform 12 and those from outside tried to reach Platform 16, people started colliding. Many fell on the escalator and stairs, causing the stampede.”

5 of 18 died due to traumatic asphyxia: RML Hospital

At least 18 people died in a stampede at the New Delhi railway station on Saturday night, with five victims succumbing to traumatic asphyxia, according to RML Hospital. “No injured were brought to RML Hospital. We received five dead bodies from LNJP Hospital for postmortem. Four of them were females and a male,” a senior doctor stated. Northern Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer Himanshu Upadhyay said: “Some passengers slipped and fell on others while coming down from the foot overbridge.” Officials suspect delayed train departures, excessive ticket sales and a possible platform change announcement error contributed to the chaos.