Did passengers' confusion over train names lead to New Delhi railway station stampede?
At least 18 people were killed in the stampede that occurred at the New Delhi railway station on Saturday.
The initial probe into Saturday's deadly stampede at the New Delhi railway station that killed 18 people, found that the passengers got confused between 'Prayagraj Express and Prayagraj Special', and thought they might miss their train, Delhi Police sources told PTI on Sunday.
The confusion occurred due to the announcement of the trains having same initial name ‘Prayagraj’.
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Delhi Police sources told PTI that the announcement of the 'Prayagraj Special' arriving at Platform 16 led to confusion among the waiting passengers because the Prayagraj Express was already at Platform 14.
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"People who were reaching Platform 14 thought their train was arriving at Platform 16 and they rushed towards it, leading to the stampede.
Additionally, four trains were heading to Prayagraj, out of which three were delayed, causing unexpected overcrowding.
“There was confusion among the passengers regarding the train names and the change of platforms of the trains. Which ultimately led to the tragedy,” a witness told PTI.
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Prayagraj special train to run from Platform 16
The Indian Railways will run a special train for devotees to Prayagraj from platform number 16 on the New Delhi railway station, officials told ANI.
“As of now, Prayagraj Special will run from platform number 16, and then Vande Bharat will run. Let railways manage that show, we will do our work. We have sufficient deployment here. The situation at platform 16 is normal and under control," DCP Railway KPS Malhotra said.
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The Indian Railways have announced the formation of a two-member committee has been formed to investigate the incident. The committee comprises Narsingh Deo, Northern Railway's Principal Chief Commercial Manager (PCCM), and Pankaj Gangwar, its Principal Chief Safety Commissioner (PCSC), the railways said on Sunday.
The committee has initiated a High-Level Inquiry (HAG) into the incident, the Railways said. As part of the investigation, the committee has ordered securing of all video footage from the Railway Station to aid in the probe.
(With PTI, ANI inputs)