Railways requested X to remove 285 links featuring videos of the incident from its platform.
New Delhi: The Railways Ministry has instructed the social media platform X to remove 285 social media links related to videos of the casualties in the February 15 stampede at New Delhi Railway Station, according to a Hindustan Times report.
On February 15, a stampede occurred at the New Delhi Railway Station as a massive crowd of passengers waited for trains to visit the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. At least 18 people, mostly women and children, were killed in the tragedy, which occurred on platform numbers 14 and 15.
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On February 17, the railway ministry issued a notice to X requesting 285 links featuring videos of the incident to be removed from its platform.
Citing “ethical norms” and the social media platform’s content policy, the Ashwini Vaishnaw-led ministry requested the removal of links to be taken within 36 hours, reported the Hindustan Times, citing sources.
According to the notice reviewed by the newspaper, the notice stated the tweets were to be removed from several accounts, including major news networks, over concerns of “sensitive or disturbing media depicting deceased individuals.”
“This is not only against ethical norms but also violates X.com’s content policy, as sharing such videos could lead to unnecessary law and order issues,” stated the ministry in its notice, as quoted by HT.
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It further stated that videos could “disrupt the operations of Indian Railways, especially given the huge rush of trains at present.”
On Wednesday, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Sudhaker Singh accused the Modi government of withholding information regarding the death toll of pilgrims who died in stampedes and road accidents to date.
This is the second deadly stampede related to the Kumbh Mela. The January 29 stampede at Prayagraj’s Sangam killed at least 30 people.
Since the tragic stampede, the Delhi Railway Division has reportedly implemented a new protocol wherein station officials are required to obtain clearance from the Railway Protection Force before allowing any train to arrive at platforms 8 to 16 at New Delhi railway station.
All trains coming from or departing for places like Prayagraj, Patna, Kanpur, Lucknow, Howrah, etc., are normally at platforms 8 to 16.
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Projected as the world’s biggest religious congregation, the Maha Kumbh began on January 13 and will conclude on February 26.
Since the January 29 tragedy, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has been under public scrutiny for allegedly withholding the actual death toll. Various media reports and people suggested that a second stampede had occurred merely hours after the first, which was not disclosed by the government.
