'Stampede-like situation' at New Delhi railway station, crowd-control measures avert tragedy
There was a 'stampede-like situation' at New Delhi railway station on Sunday, but timely adoption of crowd-control measures prevented any disaster, and no one was injured, the Delhi Police stated. The railways ministry, however, reported that there was a rush at the station but that there was "no stampede or stampede-like situation".
Stampede-like situation was seen at New Delhi railway station on Sunday due to delay in departure of many trains, including Shiv Ganga Express, Swatantrata Senani Express, Jammu Rajdhani Express, Lucknow Mail, and Magadh Express. There was an enormous crowd of passengers at platforms 12 and 13, leading to massive passenger congestion .
Contrasting account
While the Delhi Police stated that the crowd turned unruly and led to stampede-like conditions, the ministry of railways claimed there was no stampede or stampede-like situation. The ministry attributed the congestion as a heavy rush and took crowd control measures, including carrying unreserved passengers through the holding area .
Eyewitness accounts
Witnesses indicated the jam caused panic within passengers, resulting in action from the Delhi Police to clear out the crowd and avoid any damage.
Recent tragedy
The accident came little more than a month after a fatal stampede on February 15, killing at least 18 and injuring 15. The disaster was blamed on delays in trains, communication of train timetables, bottlenecks in infrastructure, and not having crowd control in place .
