By: Amit kumaR Agarwal
- At least 18 people were killed in the stampede that occurred at the New Delhi railway station on Saturday Night
- Did passengers' confusion over train names lead to New Delhi railway station stampede?
As per the reports, the initial probe into Saturday's deadly stampede at the New Delhi railway station that killed 18 people, found that the passengers got confused between 'Prayagraj Express' and 'Prayagraj Special', and thought they might miss their train.
The Indian Railways have announced the formation of a two-member committee to investigate the incident. The committee comprises Narsingh Deo, Northern Railway's Principal Chief Commercial Manager (PCCM), and Pankaj Gangwar, its Principal Chief Safety Commissioner (PCSC), the railways said on Sunday, December 16.
- The committee has initiated a High-Level Inquiry (HAG) into the incident, the Railways said.
- As part of the investigation, the committee has ordered securing of all video footage from the Railway Station to aid in the probe.
Sources reported, the confusion occurred due to the announcement of the trains having same initial name ‘Prayagraj’.
Eyewitnesses said that the announcement of the 'Prayagraj Special' arriving at Platform 16 led to confusion among the waiting passengers because the 'Prayagraj Express' was already at Platform 14.
Additionally, four trains were heading to Prayagraj, out of which three were delayed, causing unexpected overcrowding. All these factors together may have resulted in the stampede.
More details and official statements are awaited.