At least 18 people, including 14 women and five children, lost their lives in a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night. The incident, which occurred around 9:55 pm, also left over a dozen people injured, who are now being treated at nearby hospitals. The stampede unfolded after delays to two trains bound for Prayagraj and the arrival of a special Express train for the Maha Kumbh Mela. The Ministry of Railways has ordered a high-level inquiry into the \”unfortunate\” incident and formed a two-member committee to investigate the cause. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police have launched an investigation into the causes of the tragedy and have vowed to implement stricter crowd control measures for upcoming MahaKumbh train services to avoid further incidents. The situation worsened due to platform overcrowding, as passengers scrambled to board the special train, which was scheduled to depart at 10:10 pm from platform 14. Some passengers, some coming down from the foot-over bridge, slipped on the stairs leading to platforms 14 and 15, causing a pile-up. This, coupled with the last-minute rush, led to the stampede. Earlier this week, passengers at Bihar’s Madhubani Railway Station broke windows on the Swatantrata Senani Express after being unable toBoard the overcrowded train to Delhi.
