What caused the deadly stampede at New Delhi railway station on February 15?

According to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) inquiry report, the deadly stampede was triggered by a sudden change in the departure platform of a Kumbh special train to Prayagraj. Initially, passengers were informed around 8:45 PM that the train would depart from platform number 12. Soon after, a contradictory announcement stated the train would leave from platform number 16 instead. The RPF report explicitly states that these two differing announcements created confusion and chaos among passengers, directly leading to the stampede situation that resulted in 18 fatalities. The last-minute platform change caused a dangerous rush as passengers attempted to relocate from one platform to another.