How porters at Delhi rly stn became first line of rescue

As the crowd swelled and word about the stampede spread at the New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS), porters — the backbone of the station who are often overlooked — were among the first to respond, rushing to rescue unconscious passengers from the overcrowded platforms 14 and 15.

- Hemani Bhandari and Paras Singh

NEW DELHI:

The stampede, triggered by an unprecedented rush of passengers boarding trains for Kumbh, saw people collapsing under pressure. With no time to wait for official aid, porters carried victims on their shoulders, crossed railway tracks, and used private vehicles to transport them to hospitals.

"There was an unprecedented crowd. Ever since Kumbh started, such a rush was never witnessed," said Ram Avtar, 42, a porter from Bihar.

"I remember carrying at least seven or eight people, including women and children. The staircase was jammed, so we had to cross tracks and a static train to get them out."