New Delhi:

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and her ministers, hours after taking oath, made a beeline for Yamuna at Vasudev Ghat, where they are participating in the river “aarti” -inspired by the daily evening ceremony at the ghats of Ganga at Haridwar and Varanasi. The gesture – apart from being a political message of the party’s comeback after 26 years — was also a reaffirmation of the BJP’s promise to clean up the river that was once the lifeblood of the centuries-old city but is now little more than a drain.

“We will fulfil all the promises that we have made… At 5 PM, we will go to Yamuna Ghat for aarti. The cabinet meeting will be held at 7 pm,” the Chief Minister had said while assuming charge at the Delhi Secretariat and meeting officials and leaders.

Ahead of the assembly polls, the BJP promised a clean Yamuna in three years. The promise was reinforced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the victory celebrations of the party. PM Modi had promised to make Yamuna “The identity of Delhi.”

“I have pledged during the election campaign that we will make Yamuna ji the identity of Delhi. I know this is not very difficult. No matter how much time is taken, no matter how much energy is used, but if the resolve is strong, then blessings of Yamuna ji will remain with us,” he had said in his victory speech.

In its election manifesto, the “Viksit Bharat Sankalp Patra”, the BJP had said it would set up a “Yamuna Kosh” for the revitalisation and the riverfront development project.

For now, the four-fold plan for the clear-up announced by the Lieutenant Governor’s office involves the removal of trash and silt from the river and the drains — including the Najafgarh drain that contributes the most to the pollution — expanding the sewage treatment capacity to 1,000 million gallons per day and common effluent treatment plant capacity to 220 MLD. 

The LG had also promised regular monitoring not only for the industrial units but also the sewage and waste water treatment plants. 

The work started on Sunday, four days ahead of the Chief Minister’s oath ceremony. Officials from the Lieutenant Governor’s Office said trans and silt removal has started with skimmers, weed harvesters and a dredger.

The BJP came to power in Delhi after 28 years in the assembly election held earlier this month, winning 48 of the 70 assembly seats. Apart from the corruption allegations against Arvind  Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party, civic issues – the condition of the Yamuna, air pollution and AAP’s failure to clean up the city despite having control of the civic body – played a huge part in the BJP victory.

The Yamuna pollution issue was the eleventh-hour addition to the campaign, with Arvind Kejriwal’s allegation that the BJP government Haryana is “poisoning” the river water. 

The BJP and the Congress lost no time in pointing out that AAP has failed to deliver on its promise to clean up the river, despite spending Rs 6000-plus crore over the last five years. 

New Delhi:

A stampede occurred at New Delhi Railway Station, resulting in the loss of 15 lives on Saturday. The incident happened around 10 pm when thousands of devotees were heading to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh 2025 festival, causing severe overcrowding at the station.

An eyewitness, an Indian Air Force (IAF) sergeant on Sunday recounted that despite announcements and efforts to convince people to avoid gathering in large numbers, the crowd remained unmanageable. He said the administration attempted to control the crowd, but people didn’t listen.

Speaking to the news agency ANI, Ajit said, “We have a tri-service office at the railway station. When I was returning after my duty, I couldn’t go as there was a huge crowd… I tried to convince people and also made announcements appealing to people to avoid gathering on the platform in large numbers. The administration was working hard to prevent any mishap, but no one was listening… I also helped the injured people with the help of one of my friends.”

Another eyewitness recounted the horror, saying that the crowd was beyond the limit.

“The crowd was beyond the limit, people were gathered at the (foot over) bridge… Such a huge crowd wasn’t expected. I have never seen such a massive crowd at the railway station, even during the festivals. People from the administration and even NDRF personnel were there, but when the crowd exceeded the limit, it wasn’t possible to control them,” he said.

One of the victim’s brothers at the LNJP hospital, who lost his sister in the stampede, said, “We were 12 people going to Maha Kumbh. We hadn’t even reached the platform but were at the stairs… My family, including my sister, were stuck in the crowd. We found her after half an hour, and by the time she was dead.”

Another eyewitness described the chaos, stating that the crowd came from both sides after an announcement about a train platform change, leading to the stampede.

“There was no one to control the crowd… It was announced that the train coming on platform number 12 would come on platform number 16. So the crowd came from both sides and a stampede occurred…some people were taken to the hospital…,” he said.

Delays in train departures and the sale of around 1,500 general tickets exacerbated the situation and contributed to the overwhelming crowd.

Among the affected passengers, Pappu, a resident of Bihar’s Patna, shared his grief, saying, “My mother died in the stampede. We were on our way home.”

NDRF Commandant Daulat Ram Chaudhary confirmed that the situation was now under control. “…The situation is under control now. The injured have been evacuated…We received information about a stampede at platform no. 14 at the station… We are carrying out the rescue operations…”

DCP Railway KPS Malhotra stated that while the authorities had anticipated a large crowd, the incident unfolded within moments.

“We expected the crowd, but it all happened in a fraction of time, and hence this situation occurred. The fact-finding will be done by the Railways… After inquiry, we will get to know the reason behind the incident,” he told ANI.

Meanwhile, the Railway Board, on Sunday, informed that a two-member high-level committee had been formed to investigate the matter and determine the cause of the stampede at New Delhi railway station.

“A two-member high-level committee has been formed to investigate the matter… The situation is under control, and the passengers have been sent by special train… Train movement at the railway station is normal now,” Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information & Publicity (ED/IP), Railway Board.

According to Mr Kumar, the station was experiencing an unusually high volume of passengers, prompting the railways to operate four additional special trains to manage the crowd.

To regain control of the situation, entry to the railway station was temporarily blocked.

“The number of passengers was relatively very high today at the New Delhi railway station, and so we ran four more special trains. We received information that a few people fainted – they have been admitted to a local hospital. We blocked entry to the railway station for a while, but the situation is under control now,” added Mr Kumar.

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 Swatantrata Senani Express and Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani led to further congestion at platforms 12, 13, and 14.

New Delhi:

As the ongoing war in Israel between security forces and Palestinian group Hamas escalates, a security alert has been sounded in New Delhi in view of potential protests in the national capital, police said. 

Delhi Police personnel will be present on the streets with heavy force during Friday prayers. Security has also been stepped up at Jewish religious establishments and the Israel Embassy. 

This comes after many countries, including the US, UK, France and Germany, heightened security around “potential Jewish targets” and “pro-Palestinian protesters” in view of the escalating violence in Israel. 

Following the bloody attack on Israel by Hamas, France on Thursday banned all pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the interest of public order. Critics of the ban argue that it infringes on freedom of speech and assembly.

More than 1,500 people have been killed in Gaza after Israel retaliated with fury after the surprise land-sea-air attack by Hamas left 1,300 Israelis dead. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, soon after the Hamas onslaught began, declared a “state of war’ and vowed to reduce Gaza to rubble. 

Indian nationals who were stranded in Israel due to the ongoing war were evacuated on the first flight under Operation Ajay, which landed in New Delhi today.