Seventeen people, two of who were children, died in a stampede around 10 PM at New Delhi Railway Station as thousands gathered aboard trains to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela. The combination of the huge crowd and platform changes at the last minute threw some passengers into confusion and panic and led to the stampede.
Eyewitnesses said pandemonium broke out when some passengers fell down the footbridge, which caused other people to tumble on them. Minutes later, it all turned chaotic as people started struggling to flee from the crush. Railway staff and porters wheeled out the bodies using handcarts, and it was described as "a horrific sight."
The capital police have immediately put in motion an inquiry to establish the reasons that led to this tragedy. They are going through the whole video footage available on different CCTV of the station to ascertain what exactly happened. They are also investigating whether there were crowd management arrangements in place and whether they could have intervened in time to prevent this tragedy.
In his condolence letter directed to the victims' families, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed great sorrow over the incident. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has stated that a high-level committee will be constituted to investigate the whole incident and take responsibility. He has also assured compensation to affected families.
The incident has shed light on the present-day need for greater crowd management during major religious events. Components engaged in putting together such handling facilities faced calls for really more stringent upkeep minded in retribution for possible contingencies during such eventualities.
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