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New Delhi: The latest stampede-like situation at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, brought back memories of recent stampedes in India. On Friday following the dust storm in the national capital, chaos erupted at the New Delhi Airport, several flights were late, many others were diverted and some even cancelled. Following this, the crowd at the airport was spiraling out of control, resulting in a stampede-like situation. Thankfully however, none of the passengers were injured.
There have been several cases of stampedes in the country in the past few years. Here is a list of 5 stampedes which caused several deaths and injuries.
1. New Delhi Railway station stampede: On February 15, 2025 a stampede was reported as crowds gathered at the station to visit Prayagraj for the Kumbh Mela. The overcrowding was caused due to the Railways continuing to sell general tickets to Prayagraj. On that fateful day, reportedly 2 trains got delayed and this led to overcrowding at the station. Apart from this, there was also a special train for the city (Prayagraj) scheduled for that day, this further increased crowds at the platform. All these factors together led to overcrowding at the station, and the authorities failed to control the crowds. Apart from this a rumour spread that Prayagraj Express would arrive on a different platform. This further added to the chaos.
The incident led to the death of people, which included 11 women and 5 children. Apart from this, at least 12 people were injured. The incident happened at around 9:55 pm.
2. Stampede at Maha Kumbh Mela: Before the stampede at the New Delhi Railway station, a stampede happened in Prayagraj. This incident was reported on January 29, 2025, as the city was immersed in taking part in the Kumbh Mela. Reportedly huge crowds broke police barricades at night while on way to the Sangam ghats. Chaos ensued as those walking towards the ghats, stepped on people sleeping on the roads. The incident happened between 1 am to 2 am at night. It left 30 people dead and 60 injured. Several others were reported missing in the chaos. This stampede happened on "Mauni Amavasya" which is considered the most auspicious moment to take a dip in the Sangam.
Following the incident the administration started adopting stricter crowd control measures. Vehicles were diverted and their entry banned in the holy city. Apart from this restrictions were also placed on VIP movement at the fair.
3. Stampede in Hathras in 2024: Another heartbreaking incident of a stampede happened in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras. The incident happened on July 2, 2024 at a religious gathering. On the day a ‘satsang’ was held in Phulrai village, where thousands of followers of a self-styled baba,Suraj Pal, popularly known as 'Bhole Baba' had gathered. As the self-styled preacher left the venue after giving sermons, several devotees reportedly rushed behind his car to touch his feet. This led to chaos and some of the attendees at the event fell on the ground. This led to a stampede. At least 121 people were killed in the tragedy. Among those killed, there were 112 women and 7 children. 80 others were injured and were hospitalised. Reportedly there were 200,000 devotees at the venue, while the administration had given permission for a gathering of 80,000 people.
The police filed a 3,200 page chargesheet in the incident. But the main organiser of the event, the self-styled godman, "Bhole Baba" received a clean chit from the authorities in February 2025. Even the SIT which was formed to investigate the matter, did not find any evidence against him.
4. Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine stampede: In another unfortunate incident reported from a religious site, at least 12 people were killed at the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in 2022. The incident happened on the first day of the year. This unfortunate incident on New Year's day led to the death of 12 people and left 15 injured. The incident took place at around 2:45 am, when a large number of devotees were queuing up to take darshan inside the cave shrine. According to reports at the time, some people entered into an argument and pushed each other. This led to the stampede.
The government had announced an ex gratia amount of Rs 12 lakh after the incident. The money was to be given to the next of kin of those killed in the stampede. The Central government also said that the injured would receive Rs 50,000 each. The relief money was to be released from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.
5. Elphinstone Road railway station stampede: On September 29,2017 a stampede occurred at Mumbai's Elphinstone Road railway station. The tragedy led to the death of 22 people and left another 39 injured. According to reports several people tried to take shelter from the rain by standing on the bridge and this led to overcrowding.
On that fateful morning, several commuters slipped from the stairs of the bridge while others were left holding on to or practically hanging on the railings of the foot overbridge. This incident happened in the morning at around 10:30 am, considered to be the peak rush hour in the city, especially in the Mumbai local. Authorities had registered a case of Accidental Death in the matter and also blamed overcrowding and slippery stairs for the accident.
