Railways distributes Rs 1.99 crore in cash to stampede victims’ families, violates guidelines
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In a move that has raised concerns over procedural violations, the Indian Railways distributed Rs 1.99 crore in cash to the families of victims killed in the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station.
The ex-gratia payments were handed over in large sums, with each family of the deceased reportedly receiving Rs 10 lakh in cash, despite official guidelines limiting cash disbursement to Rs 50,000 for immediate relief.
The tragedy, which claimed the lives of at least 18 people on Saturday night, saw swift action from the Railways in compensating the victims’ families. However, as per the 2023 guidelines, only up to Rs 50,000 can be disbursed in cash, with the remaining compensation to be processed via cheque, RTGS, or other online payment modes.
Yet, the Railways bypassed these regulations by handing over wads of cash directly to victims’ relatives outside the mortuaries of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narain Hospital, and Lady Hardinge Hospital in Delhi.
By noon on Sunday, most bodies had been transported by the families to their respective hometowns. Alongside this, the Railways confirmed that an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for families of the deceased, Rs 2.5 lakh for grievous injuries, and Rs 1 lakh for minor injuries had been disbursed.
Himanshu Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer of Northern Railways, admitted that the entire compensation was given in cash, stating, "Everyone was given cash without waiting for online payments."
When questioned about the 2023 guidelines, Upadhyay claimed that part of the amount was ex-gratia and the rest was compensation. However, the Railways’ official press release only mentioned ex-gratia payments, and he was unable to clarify the breakdown of payments.
Another senior Railways official, speaking on condition of anonymity, justified the cash disbursement, stating, “It was done to provide immediate relief without delay, as cash was readily available.”
Several relatives of the victims confirmed to Newslaundry that they received substantial cash payments at odd hours outside hospital mortuaries.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) confirmed that the official ex-gratia announcement was made at 11 AM. However, cash had already been distributed hours earlier, raising further questions about the urgency and lack of adherence to regulations.
When asked about this discrepancy, Dharmendra Tiwari, Additional Director General of PIB, stated: “Even if it was told to the media later, we had started executing the order earlier. That’s why payments were made from 4 AM onwards.”