Opposition blames government’s ‘negligence’ for New Delhi station stampede that killed 18

A tragedy unfolded at the New Delhi railway station late Saturday night as at least 18 people, including mostly children and women, lost their lives after a stampede broke out while scores of people were trying to board special trains to attend the Maha Kumbh mela in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj.

Eyewitness accounts from the scene paint a horrifying picture of what unfolded at the railway station. People said that there was a lack of management to handle the big crowd that had gathered at the station. Last-minute change in the train timing and platform also allegedly added to the chaos, which led to the huge tragedy surrounding the Maha Kumbh, second to the stampede that occurred at the mela itself and killed at least 30 people just a couple of weeks back.

Political leaders were quick to jump in and offer condolences to the families of the victims and also those who were injured due to the stampede and are under treatment. The opposition claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw were responsible for the tragedy.

How the opposition reacted

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called the incident “extremely sad” and “distressing” while expressing his condolences for the victims before saying that the incident highlights the “failure” of the Indian railway system and the government’s “insensitivity”.

“Given the large number of devotees heading to Prayagraj, better arrangements should have been made at the station. The government and administration must ensure that no one loses their life due to mismanagement and negligence,” he said in a post on X.

Bahujan Samaj Party’s chief and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati also held the railways’ “grave negligence” responsible for the tragedy, calling for strict action.

“Due to the grave negligence of the railway, amidst the crowd that gathered at New Delhi Railway Station to go to the Prayagraj Mahakumbh, there was a stampede in which many people were killed and injured, an event that is extremely tragic. My deepest condolences to the victims. The government should take action against those responsible and also provide full assistance to the victims,” she said.

AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi called the incident “avoidable” while accusing the BJP government of a cover-up.

“This is what needs to be done instead: 1. Appointing an independent, judicially-monitored SIT to investigate the tragedy, 2. An independent inquiry into the systemic failures of the Indian Railways. Indian Railways is a lifeline for millions of Indians; it does not deserve the Modi government’s mismanagement,” he said.

Taking a direct dig at Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said that his “train of conscience left the station long ago” in a post on X.

In another post, she contemplated how many such tragedies need to happen before one can ask for accountability.

“How many derailments, accidents, stampedes, lives lost, passenger fare raised, passenger having to travel in inhuman way will it take to become the right time for seeking accountability?” she asked.