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‘We didn’t wait… started pulling people out’: Porters at New Delhi railway station recall stampede

As the railway authorities scrambled to respond, the porters became the first responders.

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(From left to right) Porters Yogi and Dagur talking about the stampede that occurred at New Delhi railway station on Saturday. (Source: Express Photo)

The screams came first. Then, a blur of people stumbling out of the New Delhi railway station’s main entrance, their voices rising in panic. “Bachao! (Help us!),” they cried, breathless, clutching at strangers, their clothes torn in the frenzy. Some collapsed onto the pavement, others sprinted toward the road, dodging rickshaws and street vendors who froze in confusion.

This is how Vicky Singh Dagur, a 26-year-old porter, recalled the stampede that occurred on Saturday night at platform no 14.

Standing near the entrance of the station in his red shirt and golden badge, he saw the first wave of passengers emerge, their faces terrified. “Something was very wrong,” he said. Then the cries rang out.

Before he could think, Dagur and a handful of other porters were rushing towards the noise. The moment they stepped onto platform 14, the horror unfolded before them. People — men, women, children — lay on the floor, trampled, gasping for breath. Their luggage and shoes lay scattered across the platform.

For the porters, who lift, haul and navigate the station’s daily mayhem, it was instinct to act. “We started pulling people out,” said Rajesh Yogi, 30, Dagur’s older brother. Like his father and grandfather before him, Yogi has spent years ferrying passengers’ luggage across platforms. “There is always a crowd here at the New Delhi railway station. But last night was like never before,” he said.

Also Read | ‘The crowd crushed us… there was no one to help’: Families who lost loved ones in New Delhi station stampede recount tragedy

As the railway authorities scrambled to respond, the porters became the first responders. Describing the scene on platform 14, Jitesh Meena, another porter, said, “We heard people crying for help and reached them as soon as we could. We did not wait for instructions from any official. We did what we could,” he said.

“We carried the injured passengers on our back, helped women who were bleeding, and wrapped children in shawls to keep them warm.”

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“All I can remember is fear. Children were trembling, women clutching on to whatever they could find,” he said.

Mahesh, another porter who has worked at the station for years, said the footbridge was jammed beyond capacity. “There was no space to move. The only option was to crawl under a train that was parked at platform 16. So we helped people slip underneath and get out.”

“We cooperated with the railway administration and they cooperated with us. We worked together last night to save as many people as possible,” Mahesh said.

Some helped people retrieve their luggage, while others guided the relatives searching for their loved ones.

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By morning, the chaos had been replaced by an eerie order. There was a straight long queue of passengers going through security checks at the entrance of the railway station. The roadside stalls around the station remained closed. The usual clamour of tea sellers and hawkers was absent. A subdued crowd moved towards the platforms in more measured steps, the memory of the night before still hanging thick in the air.

Vidheesha Kuntamalla

Vidheesha Kuntamalla is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She is known for her investigative reporting on higher education policy, international student immigration, and academic freedom on university campuses. Her work consistently connects policy decisions with lived realities, foregrounding how administrative actions, political pressure, and global shifts affect students, faculty, and institutions. Professional Profile Core Beat: Vidheesha covers education in Delhi and nationally, reporting on major public institutions including the University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, the IITs, and the IIMs. She also reports extensively on private and government schools in the National Capital Region. Prior to joining The Indian Express, she worked as a freelance journalist in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for over a year, covering politics, rural issues, women-centric issues, and social justice. Specialisation: She has developed a strong niche in reporting on the Indian student diaspora, particularly the challenges faced by Indian students and H-1B holders in the United States. Her work examines how geopolitical shifts, immigration policy changes, and campus politics impact global education mobility. She has also reported widely on: * Mental health crises and student suicides at IITs * Policy responses to campus mental health * Academic freedom and institutional clampdowns at JNU, South Asian University (SAU), and Delhi University * Curriculum and syllabus changes under the National Education Policy Her recent reporting has included deeply reported human stories on policy changes during the Trump administration and their consequences for Indian students and researchers in the US. Reporting Style Vidheesha is recognised for a human-centric approach to policy reporting, combining investigative depth with intimate storytelling. Her work often highlights the anxieties of students and faculty navigating bureaucratic uncertainty, legal precarity, and institutional pressure. She regularly works with court records, internal documents, official data, and disciplinary frameworks to expose structural challenges to academic freedom. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 & 2025) 1. Express Investigation Series JNU’s fault lines move from campus to court: University fights students and faculty (November 2025) An Indian Express investigation found that since 2011, JNU has appeared in over 600 cases before the Delhi High Court, filed by the administration, faculty, staff, students, and contractual workers across the tenures of three Vice-Chancellors. JNU’s legal wars with students and faculty pile up under 3 V-Cs | Rs 30-lakh fines chill campus dissent (November 2025) The report traced how steep monetary penalties — now codified in the Chief Proctor’s Office Manual — are reshaping dissent and disciplinary action on campus. 2. International Education & Immigration ‘Free for a day. Then came ICE’: Acquitted after 43 years, Indian-origin man faces deportation — to a country he has never known (October 2025) H-1B $100,000 entry fee explained: Who pays, who’s exempt, and what’s still unclear? (September 2025) Khammam to Dallas, Jhansi to Seattle — audacious journeys in pursuit of the American dream after H-1B visa fee hike (September 2025) What a proposed 15% cap on foreign admissions in the US could mean for Indian students (October 2025) Anxiety on campus after Trump says visas of pro-Palestinian protesters will be cancelled (January 2025) ‘I couldn’t believe it’: F-1 status of some Indian students restored after US reverses abrupt visa terminations (April 2025) 3. Academic Freedom & Policy Exclusive: South Asian University fires professor for ‘inciting students’ during stipend protests (September 2025) Exclusive: Ministry seeks explanation from JNU V-C for skipping Centre’s meet, views absence ‘seriously’ (July 2025) SAU rows after Noam Chomsky mentions PM Modi, Lankan scholar resigns, PhD student exits SAU A series of five stories examining shrinking academic freedom at South Asian University after global scholar Noam Chomsky referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an academic interaction, triggering administrative unease and renewed debate over political speech, surveillance, and institutional autonomy on Indian campuses. 4. Mental Health on Campuses In post-pandemic years, counselling rooms at IITs are busier than ever; IIT-wise data shows why (August 2025) Campus suicides: IIT-Delhi panel flags toxic competition, caste bias, burnout (April 2025) 5. Delhi Schools These Delhi government school grads are now success stories. Here’s what worked — and what didn’t (February 2025) ‘Ma’am… may I share something?’ Growing up online and alone, why Delhi’s teens are reaching out (December 2025) ... Read More

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