A fatal stampede at New Delhi Railway Station, India on Saturday evening claimed the lives of 18 people, 14 of them women, and a seven-year-old child. The tragic event unfolded as thousands of Hindu pilgrims were attempting to board trains to the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The incident also left more than a dozen people injured on two of the busiest platforms at the station.
The stampede started around 8:00 P.M. local time on February 15, 2025. Passengers on two platforms were rushing to board trains when several people slipped and fell while coming down from a footbridge that connects the platforms. The resulting surge of people quickly escalated, leading to multiple fatalities.
A witness at the scene recounted the terrifying incident: “There was a sea of humanity at the railway station, and the crowd surged towards the train going to Prayagraj. I lost my belongings and barely survived.”
Railway authorities dismissed rumors suggesting that platform change announcements had led to the chaos. Contrarily, a bereaved woman who lost her daughter-in-law in the incident reported that an announcement about a platform change for a train led to confusion among passengers.
An inquiry into the incident revealed several factors that contributed to the disaster. Over 2,600 extra unreserved tickets were sold in the hours leading up to the stampede. Furthermore, a number of eastbound trains were concentrated on the platforms on the Ajmeri Gate side, causing severe overcrowding. Confusing announcements concerning a special train to Prayagraj on Platform 16 also led to a sudden rush of passengers. Social media posts had warned of the overcrowding hours before the incident, but no preventive steps were taken.
The chief minister of the national capital territory, Atishi, confirmed that the injured were transported to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narain Hospital in New Delhi. Two members of the Legislative Assembly stayed at the hospital to support the families of the victims. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the situation was “under control” and that Delhi Police and Railway Protection Force were at the scene.
In response to the tragedy, a two-member committee has been set up to investigate the incident and CCTV footage has been secured. Immediate measures have also been implemented to prevent similar future incidents, including operating all special trains to Prayagraj from a dedicated platform. Meanwhile, grieving relatives searched for their missing loved ones at local hospitals, as railway officials strived to manage the ongoing influx of pilgrims heading to the festival.
This incident took place during the Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, which has led to increased railway traffic. This year’s festival has drawn larger than usual crowds due to a rare celestial alignment that happens every 144 years.
This tragedy follows closely after another stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela festival where at least 30 people died on January 28, 2025. That incident occurred when millions of Hindu pilgrims were rushing to bathe in the holy waters at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers. The earlier incident had already raised concerns about crowd management at religious gatherings in India.
The incident at New Delhi Railway Station underscores the ongoing challenges that India faces with its transportation infrastructure. The country is currently undergoing a $47 billion upgrade to its railway system, which serves millions of passengers daily. Opposition parties have criticized the railway ministry’s handling of crowd management, especially during major religious festivals.
Historical data reveals that India has witnessed several significant stampedes at religious gatherings over the past decade. Notable incidents include 121 deaths at a gathering to see a Hindu preacher in Uttar Pradesh in July 2024, 12 deaths at the Vaishno Devi shrine in January 2022, and 115 fatalities at the Ratangarh temple in October 2013.