'1500 tickets were sold every hour': What caused the stampede at Delhi Railway Station

Eighteen people were killed and many others injured after a stampede broke out at the New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday late at night. The incident happened at platforms 14 and 15 of the New Delhi Railway Station, where people thronged to take the train bound for Prayagraj  - where the Mahakumbh is underway. 

Delhi acting Chief Minister Atishi told reporters that 18 people had been brought dead at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital of central Delhi, of which three were children. 

Eyewitnesses claim the station witnessed an unprecedented crowd on Saturday evening, especially at the 14th and 15th platforms. Though the administration and the NDRF personnel tried to control the crowd from swelling, it was unmanageable.

Local media reports claim that the Express train to Prayagraj was stationed at platform number 14, where a huge crowd waited. Around the same time, the Swatantrata Senani Express, heading to Jainagar in Bihar, and the Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani Express too were stationed at 12 and 13 platforms. Both trains were late for their departure, resulting in their passengers thronging the station. 

According to passengers, some trains were delayed, causing the crowd to swell. 

Around 1,500 tickets were sold by the Railways around the time, Jansatta quoted local TV channels. "We were 12 people going to Mahakumbh. We hadn’t even reached the platform but were at the stairs. My family, including my sister, were stuck in the crowd. We found her after half an hour, and by the time she was dead," an eyewitness told ANI.

There are also reports that a lot of passengers from platform 12 were heading to 16 after the announcement that a train has been rescheduled from 12 to 16 triggered a rush. "It was announced that the train coming on platform number 12 would come on platform number 16. So the crowd from 16 collided with those from other platforms. This caused a stampede," the passenger told reporters.

"I had a sleeper ticket for Purushottam Express. But, even those with confirmed tickets could not get anywhere near the trains. There was a lot of pushing and shoving. We decided to stay outside which saved our lives," Pramod Chaurasia, a passenger was quoted by Jansatta. 

However, DCP Railway KPS Malhotra told ANI that the authorities had anticipated a huge crowd but things went out of control in a matter of few minutes. "We expected the crowd, but it all happened in a fraction of time. The fact-finding will be done by the Railways. After inquiry, we will get to know the reason behind the incident," he told ANI.

A two-member high-level committee had been formed by the Railway Board to investigate the matter. "The situation is under control, and the passengers have been sent by special train. Train movement at the railway station is normal now," Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information & Publicity (ED/IP), Railway Board.