NEW DELHI: Saturday’s stampede at New Delhi Railway Station has rekindled painful memories of previous tragedies at the same location. The incident has brought back haunting images of the 2004, 2010 and 2012 stampedes that had taken a toll of lives.
In 2012, a 35-year-old woman and a 14-year-old boy were killed in a stampede at the station when hundreds of people rushed to catch a Bihar-bound train and fell over one another on the platform overbridge.
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“The Vikramshila Express had left five minutes behind schedule at 2.50pm from platform 12 instead of its normal platform 13. Shortly thereafter, crowds of passengers surged towards the stationary Sapth Kranti Express on platform 13, which normally leaves from platform 12,” recalled a former railways officer. This eleventh-hour change of platforms was the cause of the chaos. It forced hundreds of people, carrying heavy luggage, to rush from one platform to another in order to board the Sapth Kranti Express.
In the May 2010 incident, two persons were killed and at least 15 passengers injured when a last minute change of platform of a Patna-bound train triggered a stampede at the New Delhi station during the summer rush.
The stampede was triggered at around 2.50pm as soon as the Bihar Sampark Kranti Express arrived on platform 12. The train was scheduled to depart from platform 13. However, the platform for the train was changed minutes before departure. The passengers pushed and jostled to move to reach the newly designated platform lugging their luggage and this resulted in a stampede-like situation, officials recalled.
A similar incident had taken place at the railway station on Nov 13, 2004. Five women had died and several were injured when people fell over each other on the overbridge in a rush to catch a Bihar-bound train.
These incidents serve as a stark reminder of the need for improved crowd management and safety protocols at major transportation hubs like New Delhi Railway Station. Experts suggest infrastructure improvements along with better crowd control measures to prevent stampedes at railway stations.
“Steps like expanding the width of corridors, broader overbridges and platforms can help reduce congestion and prevent stampedes. Providing easy access to platforms through ramps and escalators can help distribute the crowd more evenly,” said a senior railway officer.
During rush hour, officials said, changing the arrival or departure platforms should be avoided at all costs. “The station authorities can use barriers, ropes and crowd control gates to manage the flow of passengers. Increasing the number of staff and security personnel during peak hours can help monitor and manage crowds more effectively,” one officer suggested.