"Railway Minister should resign": Congress MP Manish Tewari on Delhi stampede

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], February 16 : Congress MP Manish Tewari stated that the Railway Minister should take moral responsibility and resign after 18 people were killed at a stampede which broke out at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday evening.
He said that innocent people have lost their lives in railway accidents in India.
Tewari told reporters here, "Our condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and to those who were injured in this incident. The Railways Minister is accountable here. Railway accidents keep happening somewhere or the other in India, where innocent people lose their lives. There is no accountability for it."
He recalled that there was a time when Railway Ministers offered their resignations following a rail incident, alleging that there is zero accountability under the BJP-led NDA government.
"In the last 2-3 years, big incidents have occurred but no accountability has been fixed for the same. So, it is very important to fix accountability. There was a time in this country when a Rail incident occurred, and Railway Ministers used to tender their resignation... That culture of accountability has completely finished under BJP-NDA Government...Taking the moral responsibility, the Railway Minister should resign and accountability should be affixed...," he said.
Meanwhile, A two-member committee has been formed to investigate the stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station on Februray 15, in which 18 people died and several sustained injuries.
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 railways said the committee has initiated a High-Level Inquiry (HAG) into the incident. As part of the investigation, the committee has ordered the securing of all video footage from the Railway Station to aid in the probe.
On Saturday, there was a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station that 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.
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 announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased, Rs 2.5 lakh for the seriously injured, and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries.
A tragic incident unfolded at New Delhi Railway Station when a passenger lost balance and slipped on the stairs leading to platforms 14 and 15, resulting in several others getting injured, Northern Railway CPRO told ANI.