Railway Minister should have resigned: Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi on Delhi stampede
Feb 16, 2025
Guwahati (Assam) [India], February 16 : Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi stated that the Railway Minister should have resigned after 18 people were killed and many more were left injured at a stampede that broke out at the New Delhi railway station on Saturday evening.
He also said that someone has to be held responsible.
"This is a very sad incident, but who will take responsibility for it? Someone has to take responsibility. Several people have died. Why is no minister taking responsibility? Several incidents have taken place in the past two or three years," the Congress MP told reporters.
The Congress leader further said, "The Railway Minister should have resigned; we are not saying this on a political front, but as humanity, he should come forward and say that he is not able to stop the incidents. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should appoint someone else as the Railways Minister who will save the railway sector and take it forward," he added.
Meanwhile, a two-member committee has been formed to investigate the incident.
The committee comprises Narsingh Deo, Northern Railway's Principal Chief Commercial Manager (PCCM), and Pankaj Gangwar, its Principal Chief Safety Commissioner (PCSC), the railways said on Sunday.
The committee has initiated a high-level inquiry into the incident. As part of the investigation, the committee has ordered securing all video footage from the Railway Station to aid the probe.
The tragedy occurred at 10 p.m., on Saturday as lakhs of devotees were heading to Prayagraj for the Mahakumbh 2025 festival, causing significant overcrowding at the station.
The deceased were identified as Aaha Devi, 79, Pinky Devi, 41, Sheela Devi, 50, Vyom, 25, Poonam Devi, 40, Lalita Devi, 35, Suruchi, 11; Krishna Devi, 40, Vijay Sah, 15, Neeraj, 12, Shanti Devi, 40, Pooja Kumar, 8, Sangeeta Malik and Poonam, both aged 34, Mamta Jha, 40, Riya Singh, 7, Baby Kumari, 24, and Manoj, 47.
The Indian Railways has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased and compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh was announced for the seriously injured and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries.
