New Delhi Railway Station Stampede Inquiry: As per an inquiry report prepared by an inspector-rank officer of the Railway Protection Force, the reason which led to the stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station was the announcement that was made about the change in the departure platform of a Kumbh Special train to Prayagraj, The Indian Express reported.
The officer in his written report said that at around 8:45 pm, an announcement was made which said that the train for Mahakumbh would depart from platform no. 12. But after sometime, another announcement was made which said that the train would leave from platform no. 16. This is what created chaos at the station and led to the stampede.
The report further said that there was simultaneously a crowd of passengers waiting to board the Magadh Express from platform no. 14 and the Uttar Sampark Kranti from platform no. 15.
When the announcement was made, people started to climb the stairs from platforms 12, 13 and 14, 15 via the foot-over bridges – all while the passengers of Magadh Express and the Uttar Sampark Kranti were climbing down the stairs. Amid all the rush, some individuals got pushed who then fell on the stairs and got injured, and other passengers started walking over them.
As per the inquiry report, after the Shiv Ganga Express left from platform no. 12, there was a sudden crowd of passengers, due to which the foot-over-bridges got jammed. After this, the station director advised caution and put a stop to sale of more tickets.
Northern Railways explains what led to stampede at NDLS
Northern Railways CPRO Upadhyay explained to IE that initially, it seemed that the Prayagraj Express was meant to arrive at Platform Number 14, which is why a large crowd assembled at the platform. These were regular passengers traveling to Prayagraj (those with reserved tickets) who got mixed with other passengers who had intended to board this train.
To manage the situation, the authorities had quickly arranged an additional train to Prayagraj, which was announced to arrive at platform no. 12. But when the passengers waiting on platform no. 14 heard the announcement, they rushed towards the staircase and the foot-over-bridges. Due to the large crowd, the bridges became congested, leading to a stampede-like situation at the staircase.