'Big headload fell...': Ashwini Vaishnaw explains what led to Delhi railway station stampede that killed 18

New Delhi Railway station stampede

A “big headload that fell from one of the passengers” caused the tragic incident at New Delhi Railway Station in February that claimed 18 lives, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday. The remarks came in response to a question raised in the Rajya Sabha by Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman.

According to NDTV, the minister cited findings from a high-level inquiry committee set up to examine the circumstances that led to the “unfortunate incident”.

Vaishnaw said the headload fall caused the “tripping of passengers on the stairs”. Elaborating on the committee’s report, he added, “Many of the passengers were carrying big headloads, affecting smooth movement on the FOB (foot over bridge). There was a big headload falling from one of the passengers, and the pressure was passed on to the stairs of platforms 14 and 15, resulting in the tripping of passengers on the stairs. This led to an incident at 8.48 pm on FOB-3.”

“Consequently, passengers fell on each other,” he said.

The tragedy occurred on February 15 as thousands of passengers gathered at the station to board trains to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh. Eighteen people were killed and 15 others were injured. That evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had posted on X that he was “distressed by the stampede”.

However, the Railway Minister did not use the word “stampede” in his statement.

Responding to Suman’s query on the investigation’s status and corrective measures, Vaishnaw said sufficient crowd control arrangements were in place. “There was a gradual increase of passenger density on the foot over bridge (FOB) after 8.15 pm,” his written reply stated.

In March, he had informed the Lok Sabha that approximately 49,000 general tickets were sold that day, 13,000 more than the daily average.

Vaishnaw also shared details of compensation paid to the victims. “A total amount of Rs 2.01 crore has been paid to 33 victims and their family members,” he said, adding that Rs 10 lakh was given to each deceased victim’s family, Rs 2.5 lakh to those seriously injured, and Rs 1 lakh to those with minor injuries.

To improve crowd management at railway stations, the minister said new measures had been implemented. These include permanent holding areas, access control for confirmed ticket holders at 73 stations, wider foot overbridges, CCTV surveillance, and dedicated war rooms at major junctions.

The 45-day Maha Kumbh Mela, which ended in February, saw a record surge in passenger traffic, he said, underlining the importance of effective crowd control.