Condoling the death of 18 passengers at the New Delhi Railway Station, the Opposition blamed the Union government for mismanagement and asked why crowd control measures were not in place. They also accused the government of trying to under-report the number of dead and injured.
Calling the incident “distressing”, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said that it once again highlighted the failure of railway authorities and the “insensitivity” of the government. “Given the large number of devotees heading to Prayagraj, better arrangements should have been made at the station. The government and administration should ensure that no one loses their life due to mismanagement and negligence,” he said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of trying to hide the truth. In a post on social media platform X, hours after the incident, he said the government must release the number of deceased and injured and the identity of the missing people should be established. Echoing Mr. Kharge’s views, Congress General Secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said the incident shows that the government is “utterly incompetent and is only capable of PR, not actual management.”
He posed a series of questions on X, “The Government has again tried to downplay the situation. When will we know the exact figures of the dead and injured? Why were crowd control measures not in place? Why did the railways not run special trains when they knew this crowd was to be anticipated in light of the Mahakumbh?”
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in a post on X said the incident highlights the importance of careful planning and management. “Pilgrims on their way to the Maha Kumbh should have been met with proper support and facilities, not distress. It is essential to ensure that such journeys are safe and well-organised,” said Ms. Banerjee, a former Railway Minister.
Trinamool MP Saket Gokhale said that for hours after the stampede, the Railways kept denying the incident calling it a rumour. “This was a brazen attempt at cover-up until the bodies started showing up. Modi’s part-time Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, yet again, has blood on his hands,” Mr. Gokhale said, calling for Mr. Vaishnaw’s resignation.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also called for accountability. “It is extremely unfortunate and is the responsibility of the Indian Railways and the Rail Minister, who denies taking accountability of the incident.”
Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said the condition of the passengers in Indian Railways was similar to “potato sacks stuffed in trains”. “If by any chance a passenger gets to sit in the washroom of our trains, he considers himself lucky,” he said.
A stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday (February 15, 2025) claimed the lives of 18 people. The tragedy occurred at 10 p.m., as lakhs of devotees were heading to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh 2025 festival, causing significant overcrowding at the station.
