New Delhi, 16 February 2025 – Following a deadly stampede at New Delhi Railway Station that took 18 lives, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused the central government of trying to cover it all up. The stampede happened on Saturday evening, while pilgrims were gathering to board their respective trains for praying in Prayagraj for the Kumbh Mela.
Tragic Incidents
At around 8:00 PM, February 15, 2025, at the New Delhi Railway Station, the Life Line took place on platforms 14 and 15. The massive influx at the station would be hundreds, if not thousands, mostly devotees headed for the maha kumbh at Prayag. Eyewitnesses told that some announcements to change trains or something equal caused confusion and panic in the crowd.
This confusion and fear resulted in the surge, wherein several people fell down on the spur of the moment and led a catastrophic chain reaction. Among the dead were 14 women and four men, aged between 7 and 79 years. More than a dozen others were injured and were rushed to near hospitals for treatment.
Cover-Up Allegation
Raising eyebrows, MLA Sanjay Singh alleged that the central government was trying to put a lid on the horrendous incident. Administration was censured for not reporting the accurate number of deaths immediately after the occurrence and providing contradictory reports regarding the events leading and after the occurrence of the stampede.
“This is a tragic incident. But what is more pitiable is, whenever such incidents happen in our country, the government starts hiding the facts under the rug,” Singh said. He further added that the minister of railways was not taking responsibility, stressing that there was insufficient averaging of rail management to monitor the crowd.
Reaction from Government
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the establishment of a two-member high-level committee to inquire into the causes of the stampede. The committee will include Principal Chief Commercial Manager of Northern Railway Narsingh Deo and Principal Chief Safety Commissioner Pankaj Gangwar. They have been mandated to retrieve all videos of the incident from the railway station and eyewitness accounts in order to reconstruct the events on the ground. Announcing compensation for the victims, the Railway Ministry said that the families of the deceased would be eligible for ₹10 lakh, while serious injured persons would be compensated with ₹2.5 lakh and mildly injured with ₹1 lakh.
Condoling the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was distressed at the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station, and suggested prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured. Caretaker Delhi Chief Minister, Atishi, visited the injured at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narain Hospital and emphasized that there was a need for collective responsibility, stating that, “This is not the time for politics. The government of Delhi or the central government or police, everybody will have to work together in helping those families who have lost their loved ones.”
Opposition Views
The Congress party has also completely taken to task the government over its handling of the incident. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that the Central government was only trying to “hide the truth” about the number of dead. He called for openness and an immediate revelation of the exact number of broken-hearted relatives of the dead.
Kharge added, “It’s heart-rending news as the stampede maybe has left many people dead at New Delhi Railway Station. Videos from the station are heart-breaking. This is extremely shameful and condemnable that the Narendra Modi government is hiding the truth in the matter of New Delhi Railway Station deaths.”
