New Delhi:
A political row has erupted over Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena’s edited social media post over the stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station stampede which occurred on Saturday night and caused the deaths of 18 people, including five children, and left many others injured.
Initially, Mr Saxena’s post on X (formerly Twitter) acknowledged the “tragic loss of lives and injuries” due to the “disorder and stampede” at the station, offering his condolences to the victims’ families.
However, within minutes, he altered the statement, removing any mention of deaths and softening the language to describe the incident as merely “unfortunate.”
There has been an unfortunate incident at New Delhi Railway Station.
Have spoken to Chief Secretary & Police Commissioner and asked them to address the situation.CS has been asked to deploy relief personnel.
Have instructed CS & CP to be at the site and take control of…
— LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) February 15, 2025
The revision immediately drew criticism from opposition parties, who accused Mr Saxena and the Centre of trying to downplay the disaster. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) called it an attempt to evade responsibility.
“This is Delhi LG VK Saxena appointed by the Central Government. The BJP’s Central Government and he is responsible for the security of crores of people of Delhi. This tweet of his is proof of how expert he is in running away from his responsibility. After the tragic incident at New Delhi Railway Station, he first accepted in his tweet that there was a stampede and that passengers had died,” the AAP said in a statement.
ये केंद्र सरकार द्वारा नियुक्त दिल्ली के LG वीके सक्सेना हैं। BJP की केंद्र सरकार और इनके ऊपर दिल्ली के करोड़ों लोगों के सुरक्षा आदि की जिम्मेदारी है। अपनी जिम्मेदारी से भागने में ये कितने माहिर हैं, इसका सबूत इनका यह ट्वीट है।
नई दिल्ली रेलवे स्टेशन पर हुई दुखद घटना के बाद… pic.twitter.com/D3RjKjj8yL
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) February 16, 2025
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also weighed in, sharing screenshots of Mr Saxena’s original and edited tweets alongside posts from railway officials, questioning the lack of coordination between authorities.
The stampede broke out around 9:55 pm on Saturday night as thousands of passengers crowded platforms 12, 13, and 14, many attempting to board trains to Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh. Security personnel struggled to control the surge as passengers tripped and fell, leading to a deadly crush.
The stampede resulted in the deaths of 18 people, including 11 women and four children – two of whom were under the age of 10. Fifteen others sustained injuries and are undergoing treatment at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital.
The Delhi Police have launched an official investigation into the incident. They are reviewing CCTV footage from the station and analysing public announcements made at the time.
