18 people were killed in a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday. Industrialist Anand Mahindra described the incident as a \”national tragedy\” He called for a structured national strategy to prevent such tragedies in the future. A two-member inquiry committee has been formed to investigate the cause of the stampede. Indian Railways announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the dead, Rs 2.5 lakh for those seriously injured, and Rs 1 lakh for minor injuries. The situation worsened due to delays in the Swatantrata Senani Express and Bhubaneswar Rajdhani, leading to severe congestion at platforms 12, 15, and 16. Most of the victims were brought to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where doctors confirmed chest and abdominal injuries, with asphyxia being the likely cause of death. The incident occurred around 10 pm on Saturday when thousands of devotees rushed to board a special train to Prayagraj for the Mahakumbh. Eyewitnesses claimed people panicked after rumours spread that a different train would arrive at a different platform. But railway officials dismissed this claim, attributing the incident to overcrowding.Security at the railway station has been ramped up, with extra police deployment and ropes being used to regulate crowd movement as heavy footfall continues even hours after the tragedy.
