mondAY European leaders to gather in paris today for summit on Ukraine 17 February, 2025 French President Emmanuel Macron will host leaders from key European countries on Monday to discuss the Emmanuel Ukraine war and the continent’s security Macron epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard $52 bn Mauritius former PM held for laundering A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 handcuffs, turban 3rd aircraft carrying 112 illegal Indians touches down in Amritsar l New Delhi l J8.00 l PAGES 12 The summit will focus on the future of European security as the US pursues a deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. European leaders fear Donald Trump may agree to Putin’s demands to limit NATO presence in eastern Europe and the US involvement in the continent’s security. Leaders of Britain, Germany, Poland, Italy and Denmark will attend Confusion over trains led to stampede Police: 2 trains with identical names on different platforms led to confusion among passengers before the tragedy H a r p r e e t b a j w a @ Chandigarh gal immigration. Several deportees who landTHE third batch of 112 Indians ed on Saturday night said they deported from the United States were in shackles in the flight aboard a military aircraft land- and that 6 Sikh youths were not ed late on Sunday night at Am- allowed to wear turbans. ritsar’s Sri Guru Ram Daljit Singh of Kurala D a s s I n t e r n at i o n a l Kalan village in Hoshiairport. arpur said they were Among the 112 deporhandcuffed and their tees, 31 are from Punjab, legs chained during the 44 from Haryana, 33 journey “Our legs were . from Gujarat, two from chained and hands Uttar Pradesh and one cuffed throughout the each from Himachal jour ney. There were Pradesh and Uttarathree women and three khand. Two women Akali Dal children on board who slams from Punjab were were not cuffed,” Singh Mann among the deportees. said. The shackles were After security clearremoved before the airSenior ance, immigration, and craft landed in AmritShiromani background checks, efsar., he said. Singh had Akali Dal forts were being made leader Bikram taken the ‘Dunki route’. to send the deportees Sourav (20), who reached Singh back to their respective Majithia said Chandiwala in Punjab’s states. Those from PunFerozepur district on Bhagwant jab were being taken to Mann and his Sunday, said, “We were their homes in vehicles ministers are handcuffed and our legs arranged by the state were chained.” concerned government. Haryana Harjit Singh, from about government had sent Khanowal Ghuman vilPunjab’s two private luxury bus image but are lage in Gurdaspur, said to transport its resi- quiet on Sikh he was kept at a detendents back home. youths being tion centre and handThis was the second cuffed on the flight. deported deportation flight after Shiromani Gurdwara without the meeting between Parbhandak Committee turbans PM Narendra Modi and member Gurcharan US President Donald Trump in Singh condemned the treatWashington DC last week. ment meted out to Sikh youths, The deportation of Indians is and said it would take the matpart of an ongoing crackdown ter of sending Sikhs without by US authorities against ille- turbans with US officials. P8 The wishlist As suspense brews over the next chief minister, our reporters listen in to the hopeful voices rising from the various quarters in the capital as they express the lingering expectations they want the new government to fulfill| P4 Measures to ease Kumbh travel Railway ministry said all special trains to Prayagraj will be run only from platform No 16. “So, passengers shall come and go from the Ajmeri Gate side of the New Delhi railway station,” the ministry said Personal belongings of passengers caught in Saturday’s stampede lie scattered on a stairway leading to platforms 14 and 15 | x R A JES H KUM A R T H A KUR a n d S H EK H A R SING H @ New Delhi Miscommunication, inefficient crowd control measures, confusion over train names are among the major factors that led to the stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night, which killed at least 18 people, 14 of them women, and injured another 15 passengers. Over 2,500 passengers booked tickets at New Delhi on Saturday within a span of just one hour, which could also have resulted in overcrowding. “As 2,600 more tickets were booked within an hour at New Delhi, and there was a surge in crowd numbers for Prayagraj, a special train was announced from Platform 12,” the rail ministry said. While the ministry said there was no platform change or cancellation of any special trains, vendors and porters at the railway station claimed an announcement was made about platform change. Following this, they said, passengers waiting at Platform 14 rushed towards Platform 16, resulting in the stampede. The Delhi Police, which conducted the initial probe, said two trains with identical names— both bound for Prayagraj—led to chaos among thousands of Maha Kumbh devotees. According to senior police officers, an Rly forms high-level probe into tragedy Railway ministry has set up an inquiry into the stampede. The probe panel comprises Pankaj Gangwar, Principal Chief Security Commissioner, and Nar Singh, Principal Chief Commercial Manager, Northern Railway announcement for the arrival of the Prayagraj Special at Platfor m 16 created confusion among passengers waiting for the Prayagraj Express at Platform 14. In the rush to board what they assumed was their train, a large section of the crowd ran towards Platform 16, IPL to begin on March 22 The latest edition of the Indian Premier League will begin at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the venue of the defending champions. The 74-match, two-month long competition will also conclude at the same venue on May 25. Hyderabad and Kolkata venues for knockouts and finals Hyderabad, 2024’s losing finalists, will host the first qualifier and the eliminator on May 20 and May 21 before the caravan moves to the home of the current champions for the league’s closing stages on May 23 and 25 Group 1 Group 2 Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants Key dates May 20: Qualifier 1 | May 21: Eliminator | May 23: Qualifier 2 | May 25: Final triggering a deadly crush. “There were already four trains scheduled to depart for Prayagraj that night, and three of them were delayed. This caused extreme overcrowding. The announcement further fueled panic, as many passengers believed they had missed their original train and rushed in the wrong direction,” said a senior police officer. The government announced a `10 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased, `2.5 lakh for those seriously injured, and `1 lakh for those with minor injuries. Despite the stampede, the New Delhi station remained overcrowded on Sunday, with platforms flooded with thousands of passengers trying to board trains to Prayagraj and other destinations. In the wake of the tragedy there was heavy police , presence at the station. The footover-bridge and other connecting areas between Platforms 14 and 15 were manned by RPF officers to ensure safe movement of passengers. P3, 7 Security beefed up at rly stations Security has been beefed up at key railway stations including Prayagraj, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Kanpur, Lucknow and Mirzapur following the Delhi stampede, officials said Sack the minister: Congress Opposition parties alleged the stampede was due to poor management by the authorities. Targeting the railway minister, the Congress urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack him Uneasy calm at ground zero hours after deadly rush R A JES H KUM A R T H A KUR @ New Delhi SUNDAY morning brought an eerie calm to New Delhi railway station, where just hours earlier a chaotic stampede had claimed 18 lives and left countless others shaken. Although there was no significant crowd until about 9.30 am on Sunday, the aftermath of the stampede was evident. Toys, infant milk bottles and medicines were among items strewn across the platforms. “It was total confusion,” said a vendor at the station. “When a special train to Prayagraj was announced from platform 16, passengers rushed towards it. That’s when the stampede occurred”, said a coolie. The chaos that resulted between platforms 14 and 15, and on the foot-over bridges left scores of passengers crushed. Scattered slippers, I saw women fall torn bags, and abandoned be- to the ground, longings lay scattered across only to be the staircase, the bridge, and trampled over. platforms 14 and 15 — silent People didn’t even realize they witnesses to the tragedy “I’ve were stepping on . been a vendor here for the others who were last 15 years, but I’ve never still alive seen such a heart-wrenching scene,” said Chetan, a local Dharamji Mandal, Bookstall owner vendor. Mohan, a cleaning staff at the station, described it as “one of the worst” tragedies he had witnessed in the past 10 years. “There were personal belongings everywhere. People had no time to gather their things; they just ran for their lives,” he said, with tears in his eyes. On Sunday a majority of passengers return, ing from Prayagraj alighted at platforms number 14 and 15, which were unusually clean. Some inquired about the casualties, before disappearing into the crowd towards the exit. Reena Devi, 55, from Sarita Vihar, and her husband Dinkar, 59, said they had not encountered problems at the confluence of the rivers in Prayagraj, but did face a lot of difficulty aboard the train to Delhi due to overcrowding. Fear & sorrow dampen Kumbh spirit at Platform No. 16 A s h i s h S r i va s tava @ New Delhi The defending champions, as is customary, will kick-start the league with the opener against Bengaluru on March 22. Both sides will have new captains The size of the European union’s military assistance for ukraine Europe jittery as U.S. weighs deal with russia Pravind Jugnauth was arrested in a money-laundering probe and the police seized stacks of cash in raids on fellow suspects’ residences, officials said. Kolkata to face Bengaluru in opener Emmanuel Macron The evening air at New Delhi Railway Station was thick with poignancy, as if it bore the weight of scores of dreams crushed beneath thousands of merciless feet. The crowd on Platfor m number 16 was restless, and a thick rope was stretched to control the flow of people. Police officers stood at regular intervals, closely monitoring the passengers, while paramilitary personnel moved between platforms, determined to prevent another tragedy. The atmosphere was laden with fear and sorrow. Announcements echoed throughout the station, repeatedly infor ming passengers bound for Prayagraj that their Vaishnaw meets Shah, top officials Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday held a series of meeting at the Rail Bhavan to take stock of the safety measures during heavy passenger rush. Vaishnaw also met and briefed Home Minister Amit Shah about the stampede Porters recall night of horror “We carried dead bodies on handcarts, the same ones we use for luggage. In my 15 years as a porter, I have never seen such a massive crowd,” Balram, a porter said. “A massive crowd gathered on the (footover) bridge,” said another trains would depart from Platform number 16. Other trains continued to run as scheduled to avoid overcrowding, but unease lingered. At the entrance, security was strict. Ticket checkers exam- ined every ticket, allowing only those with Prayagraj bookings. Others were redirected to separate entrances. RPF officers inspected every bag, their eyes scanning for anything that might signal trouble. The inten- sity of the security checks reflected the desperate attempt to avoid another disaster. On Platforms 14 and 15, the ghosts of chaos lingered. Parents kept a firm grip on their little ones, scolding them at the slightest movement. People clutched railings, their expressions filled with anxiety . The trauma of the night still hung in the air. Just last night, panic had erupted there. A massive crowd of Maha Kumbh pilgrims surged forward, colliding into each other in confusion and fear. And 18 people lost their lives. Media crews swarmed the platforms, their cameras capturing every tense face. They sought reactions from stall owners and shopkeepers, hoping to piece together the moments leading to the tragedy . Nearby, a water stall owner wiped bottles briskly, avoiding eye contact. “I have been on TV all afternoon. Don’t ask me anything,” he snapped, mistaking a customer for a reporter. P3 Grant to promote India turnout nixed Place: Ramlila maidan. Capital date: February 20 E x p r e s s n e w s s e r v i c e @ New Delhi DOGE makes move A n u p V e r m a @ New Delhi The newly-created US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) headed by billionaire Elon Musk said it has cancelled the previous administration’s $21 million funding to support efforts to increase voter turnout in India. The funding was part of a larger $486 million allocation to the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening. “US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all which have been cancelled,” it said, giving a list of funding commitments US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) headed by Elon Musk said it has cancelled Biden administration’s $21 million funding to support efforts to increase voter turnout in India. after its decisive victory in the Delhi assembly polls, the BJP is all set to select the chief minister at a meeting in the state party headquarters on Wednesday and the oath ceremony will take place at Ramlila ground on February 20. The party has returned to power in Delhi after 27 years. Sources said that the BJP is likely to name a leader from the MLAs to avoid the need for bypolls. The state party has sent names of 14 probable contenders for the CM to the BJP’s central leadership. Among them that stand cancelled. The list also includes $29 million to ‘strengthen political landscape’ in Bangladesh and $20 million for ‘fiscal federalism’ in Nepal. Reacting to the announcement, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it is proof of external interference in India’s electoral process. “$21M for voter turnout? This definitely is external interference in India’s electoral process. Who gains from this? Not the ruling party for sure!,” Amit Malviya, BJP’s national spokesperson, said. DOGE was created by President Donald Trump to reduce government spending. are Bansuri Swaraj, Virendra Sachdeva, Pravesh Verma, Vijender Gupta, Manoj Tiwari, Satish Upadhyay, Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Rekha Gupta. Verma has emerged as a key contender after defeating Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi constituency The son of former . CM Saheb Singh Ver ma, Parvesh previously won the West Delhi Lok Sabha seat twice and is seen as a representative of the Jat community , which played a pivotal role in the BJP’s electoral victory . Swaraj, daughter of late Sushma Swaraj, is MP from New Delhi. Sachdeva is Delhi BJP president and enjoys support of the central leadership. Vijender Gupta, a three-time MLA, is a contender considering his experience and LoP in the Assembly Sirsa is a promi. nent Punjabi face in Delhi, while Rekha Gupta has good experience of public service. Yamuna cleaning exercise begins The cleaning of Yamuna started on Sunday based on a fourpronged strategy to free the river from pollution in three years. PM Narendra Modi during the BJP’s victory celebration at the party headquarters on February 8 promised to make every effort for pollution-free Yamuna. L-G V K Saxena on Saturday met the chief secretary and additional chief secretary (irrigation and flood control) and directed them for taking up Yamuna cleaning work, the officials said.