'Panic broke after sudden announcement', Eyewitnesses, railway authorities offer conflicting accounts of deadly stampede

One of the family members of the deceased has put forward a conflicting account of the New Delhi Railway Station stampede stating that the deadly incident occurred after a 'sudden announcement' of change in platform.

Poonam Devi, who came to receive the body of the deceased at the LNJP Hospital mortuary on Sunday (Feb 16), said, "There was suddenly an announcement that the train will be coming on platform 14. People started running, and there was a stampede."

"I got information that the bodies have been kept here so I have come here to collect the body of my relative... We were going to Chhapra, Bihar... I have no idea about my train ticket, and neither do I know which train I was supposed to board," she added. 

#WATCH | New Delhi Railway Station Stampede | Poonam Devi, a relative of a deceased, arrives at LNJP Hospital mortuary to receive the body of her relative, says, "There was suddenly an announcement that the train will be coming on platform 14. People started running, and there… pic.twitter.com/IAJ5a3JrI1

Railway authorities, on the other hand, claim that the platform 13 and 14 were already crowded as people were waiting there to board trains, Magadh Express and Uttar Sampark Kranti when the Prayagraj Express, a special train for Maha Kumbh, was scheduled to depart from platform 14 at 10:10 pm, further exacerbating the congestion.

Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northern Railway, attributed the stampede to a passenger slipping on nearby stairs, which triggered a chaotic rush among the already large crowd on the platform.

He said that there was no change in platform nor was the train cancelled.

"When this tragic incident took place yesterday, at that time, Magadh Express going towards Patna was standing on platform number 14 of New Delhi Railway Station and Uttar Sampark Kranti going towards Jammu was standing on platform number 15. During this, a passenger coming towards platforms 14-15 slipped and fell on the stairs, and many passengers standing behind him were hit, and this tragic incident took place. This is being investigated by a high-level committee," Upadhyay stated.

"No train was cancelled, nor was there any change in platform... The incident is being investigated, so let the committee submit their report and findings. The situation at the platform is normal now. All trains are running at their usual time," he added.

#WATCH | Delhi: Chief Public Relations Officer of Northern Railway, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, says, "When this tragic incident took place yesterday, at that time, Magadh Express going towards Patna was standing on platform number 14 of New Delhi Railway Station, and Uttar… pic.twitter.com/ftT109EvLm

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police said that the confusion erupted following the announcement of the trains having the same initial name starting with 'Prayagraj'. 

"The announcement of the Prayagraj Special arriving at Platform 16 led to confusion because the Prayagraj Express was already at Platform 14. People who couldn't reach their train at Platform 14 thought their train was arriving at Platform 16 leading to the stampede. Additionally, there were 4 trains heading to Prayagraj, out of which 3 were delayed, causing unexpected overcrowding," said the police.

In a tragic incident, a stampede at the New Delhi railway station claimed the lives of at least 18 and injured several others on Saturday night.

The ones who lost their lives include 11 women and five children, according to Indian media reports.

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, Poonam both aged 34, Mamta Jha, 40, Riya Singh, 7, Baby Kumari, 24, and Manoj, 47.