"Thorough inquiry required into stampede": BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai

He said that the crowd at the railway station was unprecedented as people were visiting Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj from New Delhi.

"Railway authorities have now swung into action, and the situation is returning to normalcy. It is an unprecedented crowd from across the country going to Prayagraj via Delhi. There should be a thorough investigation, and proper arrangements should be made," Bommai told ANI.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O'Brien today took a dig at Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, citing his colleague Abhishek Banerjee's speech in Lok Sabha, where the latter accused Vaishnaw of "juggling" between three ministries.Over a week ago, Banerjee hit out at Vaishnaw, calling him a "half-minister," saying that running the Indian railways was not a "side gig."

"Now, I will come to half minister. I spoke about half-truths. I spoke about half-federalism. Now let us talk about half-ministry because our part-time railway minister is juggling between two other ministries - Electronics and IT, Information and Broadcasting (IB). Running the Indian Railways, which is considered a lifeline for millions, is not a side gig," Banerjee said while speaking in Lok Sabha.

O'Brien's reaction comes as the railway minister finds himself in trouble over the New Delhi railway station stampede incident. Congress has also demanded Vaishnaw's resignation.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also jumped into the criticism, labelling the railway minister as a "reel minister".

Speaking at a press conference, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said the Railway Minister must take responsibility for the mishap and called on the central government to dismiss him. She said that Vaishnaw had no "moral right" to continue in his position.

The stampede occurred around 10 pm when thousands of devotees were heading to Prayagraj Mahakumbh, causing severe overcrowding at the station.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Railway, KPS Malhotra, the incident occurred when a large number of passengers gathered on platform no. 14, where the Prayagraj Express was stationed. Additionally, delays in the departures of the Swatantrata Senani Express and Bhubaneswar Rajdhani led to further congestion at platforms 12, 13, and 14.

An eyewitness described the chaos, stating that the crowd came from both sides after an announcement about a train platform change, leading to the stampede. Another eyewitness recounted the horror, saying that the crowd was beyond control. People from the administration and even NDRF personnel were there, but when the crowd exceeded the limit, it was impossible to manage them.

Most of the bodies of the deceased brought to the national capital's Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital following the stampede at the New Delhi Railway station had injuries on their chest and abdomen areas, with asphyxia being the likely cause of death, according to RML hospital sources.

A compensation of Rs 10 lakh was announced by the Indian Railways for the families of the deceased who lost their lives in the tragic incident.

Additionally, the Indian Railways announced a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh for those seriously injured in the incident and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries.

Earlier today, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed grief over the demise of people in an "unfortunate incident" at New Delhi Railway Station, where 18 people, including three children, lost their lives in a stampede caused by severe overcrowding. He announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased hailing from Bihar and Rs 50,000 for those who have sustained injuries.

Former Union Railway Minister and RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav said that the Railway's mismanagement led to the stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station. When asked about his suggestion regarding crowd management for the Mahakumbh, he said, "Kumbh ka kahan koi matlab hai. Faaltu hai kumbh (Kumbh has no meaning. Kumbh is useless)." (ANI)