At least 18 individuals, including five children, lost their lives and more than a dozen sustained injuries during a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night. This tragic event was triggered by a sudden influx of passengers eager to board trains heading to Prayagraj, where the Maha Kumbh Mela is currently taking place. The chaos unfolded on the foot-overbridges linking platforms 14 and 15, where some passengers lost their footing while descending, resulting in panic and a fatal crush. While certain reports suggest that delays in train departures and the issuance of 1,500 general tickets per hour contributed to the disorder at the station, others pointed to a misleading announcement regarding platform changes that may have exacerbated the confusion leading to the stampede. In response to this incident, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has mandated an investigation and established a two-member high-level committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
