The stampede at New Delhi station last week has raised many questions. One wonders whether our railway stations are equipped to handle such a crisis. Though Indian Railways claims that all necessary precautions were in place on that day to handle the surging crowd with adequate numbers of additional trains and personnel, CCTV footage reveals the absence of RPF or commercial staff at the time of the stampede.
Railway Protection Force, a para-military force meant to protect railway property, has a crucial role to play during the rush hour at stations. But are the RPF personnel being adequately trained to handle such mammoth crowds at rail premises? It is being said that the announcement of changing platforms at the last minute caused the stampede at the staircase as the entire platform and staircases were overcrowded due to the Maha Kumbh rush.
The swelling number of passengers not only choked the platforms but also escalators and even the foot over bridge. The unprecedented influx of passengers was not in sync with the carrying capacity of the trains already on platforms and those expected to be placed thereafter. The stampede claimed a total of 18 lives including 11 women and three children.
Pivotal role
Prayagraj has already witnessed an astonishing 53 crore sacred baths, making it the largest religious gathering in the world. With millions of devotees arriving daily, the Railways is playing a pivotal role in transportation. While roads leading to Prayagraj are all congested, the airfare to Sangam city is also skyrocketing. So the trains are becoming the means for the seamless transportation of pilgrims.
Though stations including New Delhi handle large crowds during Holi and Chhat festivals year after year, the Maha Kumbh rush is unprecedented. The primary problem with crowd management in India is the lack of proper planning and infrastructure at large gatherings, often leading to overcrowding, bottlenecks, and a high risk of stampedes due to inadequate entry/exit points and narrow pathways. Using a specially created simulation programme, the staff should be trained to deal with the crowds.
Major stations must have airport-like access control and many more satellite stations need to be developed around major cities to decongest central terminals. Like airports, stations must have separate entry and exit gates for incoming and outgoing passengers like airports. Incidentally, Railways has undertaken a massive drive to redevelop all major stations as world class, which will have upgraded passenger amenities and separate entry and exit for arrival and departure of rail users.
Record number of trains
For the Maha Kumbh, the Railways has over 13,000 trains scheduled to be run till February 26, 2025, out of which 12,583 had already run by February 16, 2025, a record in itself. But it goes without saying that one needs an advanced crowd management system to handle such a huge situation. It is a must for frontal staff including RPF personnel to be trained for handling huge crowds which requires clearing bottlenecks at foot over bridge, staircase and platforms on a real time basis.
It was found that though many stampede victims died due to asphyxiation, there was no oxygen facility at the platform. So there should be provision for emergency medical service with modern facilities at platforms. A constant drive is required to educate rail users to behave in a disciplined way, follow signages and cooperate with the authorities.
Another important factor is not to panic and create chaos during such situations. Lessons should be learnt from past mistakes as in 2013, a stampede at the Allahabad station during Kumbh had claimed more than 40 lives. In 2010 also two lives were lost at New Delhi station due to change of the platform which caused a stampede. Railways must fix the responsibility and accountability after a thorough and transparent probe.
The writer is a senior journalist