The Railway Ministry has directed social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to remove videos related to the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station that occurred on February 15. The incident claimed 18 lives and left several injured as a massive crowd gathered at the station for the Mahakumbh Mela. The rush to board an express train led to a stampede.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, the ministry ordered the removal of 285 social media links containing videos of the tragedy. This is the first major action taken by the ministry since it gained direct authority to remove social media links in December.
The ministry issued a notice on February 17, citing ethical guidelines and the platform’s content policies. It gave the platform 36 hours to comply with the order. The notice stated that sharing such videos could create public unrest and disrupt railway operations.
“This is not only against the ethical norms but also against the content policy of x.com itself, as sharing of such videos may create an unwarranted law and order situation,” the ministry’s notice stated. It further added that such content “may affect the operations of Indian Railways” due to the “huge rush of trains” these days, according to the report.
Following the stampede, the Delhi Railway Division introduced a new protocol on February 19. Under the new guidelines, station officials must obtain permission from the Railway Protection Force before allowing any train to arrive on platforms 8 to 16 at New Delhi Railway Station.
Trains from eastern regions, including Prayagraj, Patna, Kanpur, Lucknow, and Howrah, arrive at these platforms and are witnessing heavy passenger traffic due to the Mahakumbh. Additionally, platform tickets at New Delhi Railway Station have been suspended.