Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has ruled out any conspiracy behind the recent stampede at New Delhi Railway Station and stated that there was no unusual crowd surge at the affected platforms when the incident took place.
Speaking at Rail Bhawan on Monday, Vaishnaw said, "No conspiracy appears to be involved at the moment." He also clarified that preliminary findings indicated that there was no extraordinary rush at the station when the incident occurred on Saturday.
Dismissing speculation that a platform change announcement may have triggered the stampede, he said, "The inquiry committee is investigating the matter thoroughly."
According to railway officials, the station, which has a total capacity of 48,000 passengers across its 16 platforms, experienced a slightly higher-than-usual ticket sale on February 15. Between 6 PM and 8 PM, approximately 12,208 unreserved tickets were sold, compared to the usual 9,600 tickets on other days. However, ticket sales between 8 PM and 10 PM were lower than the daily average, with 7,600 tickets sold instead of the usual 8,900.
Officials noted that a Prayagraj Special train was scheduled to depart from Platform 12 at 7:15 PM, and due to increased demand, an additional special train was arranged at the same platform for 8:50 PM. An announcement regarding this train was made at 8:30 PM, which reportedly led to confusion among passengers waiting for the Prayagraj Express at Platform 14. Believing the announcement referred to their train, many attempted to shift to Platform 12, resulting in congestion.
Eyewitness accounts suggest that a passenger carrying a heavy load lost balance while climbing the stairs, triggering a domino effect that led to the stampede.
Vaishnaw emphasised that the Railways has significantly improved crowd management, citing the ongoing Kumbh Mela operations. "We have successfully managed the movement of 2.9 crore devotees with 12,583 special trains so far," he said.
He also defended the cash compensation provided to victims' families, explaining that it is standard practice during crises when immediate financial support is necessary. The inquiry into the incident is ongoing, and officials have assured that necessary steps will be taken to prevent similar occurrences in the future.