The Indian Railways has constituted a two-member committee to investigate the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station that claimed 18 lives and left several others injured on Saturday night.
The panel comprises Narsingh Deo, Northern Railway’s Principal Chief Commercial Manager (PCCM), and Pankaj Gangwar, its Principal Chief Safety Commissioner (PCSC), the Railways confirmed on Sunday.
According to the Railways, the committee has begun a high-level inquiry (HAG) into the incident. As part of the investigation, it has directed the preservation of all video footage from the station to aid the probe.
The stampede occurred around 10 p.m. on Saturday as thousands of devotees were travelling to Prayagraj for the ongoing Maha Kumbh 2025 festival, causing severe overcrowding on platforms 14 and 15.
The deceased were identified as Aaha Devi (79), Pinky Devi (41), Sheela Devi (50), Vyom (25), Poonam Devi (40), Lalita Devi (35), Suruchi (11), Krishna Devi (40), Vijay Sah (15), Neeraj (12), Shanti Devi (40), Pooja Kumar (8), Sangeeta Malik (34), Poonam (34), Mamta Jha (40), Riya Singh (7), Baby Kumari (24), and Manoj (47).
The Indian Railways has announced compensation of ₹10 lakh for the families of the deceased. Additionally, ₹2.5 lakh will be provided to those seriously injured, while ₹1 lakh will be given to those with minor injuries, according to an official release.
Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information and Publicity (ED/IP) at the Railway Board, said, "A two-member high-level committee has been formed to investigate the matter. The situation is under control, and the passengers have been sent by special train. Train movement at the railway station is normal now."
The Northern Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) told ANI that the stampede was triggered when a passenger lost balance and slipped on the stairs connecting platforms 14 and 15, leading to a cascade of people falling and resulting in multiple casualties.
Authorities have increased security measures at the station and ordered a comprehensive review of crowd management protocols to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Also read: New Delhi station stampede deaths rise to 18, several injured
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