Avoidable Deaths: Why Stampedes Happen 

By Pramode Mishra

18 people lost their lives in a stampede at the New Delhi railway Station on 15th February. They were all waiting to board a special train that would have taken them to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh. The stampede took place apparently on account of an announcement that the special train would arrive at platform No 16 while the crowd was waiting for the train at platform No 14. Crowds rushed to the staircase that would take them to platform no 16. In the ensuing melee, 18 people lost their lives.

A few days earlier, on 29th January more than 30 people lost their lives at a stampede at Prayagraj. The stampede occurred as the crowd was rushing to have a holy dip on the auspicious occasion of Mauni Amavasya. According to press reports, there was a congregation of more than five crore people at the venue for the Maha Kumbh.

Six people lost their lives on 9th January at Tirupati on account of a stampede. The crowd had gathered to collect free tokens being distributed for the sacred Vaikuntha Dwara Darshana.

123 people lost their lives on 2nd July 2024 at Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. More than two lakh fifty thousand people showed up for a Satsang in an area that could at best hold eighty thousand people.

Why stampedes happen

This would show the regularity at which precious human lives are lost on account of stampede. There is one common thread that runs across all these incidents spread over various parts of the country. Unmanageable crowds, all for religious events are largely the triggers for such tragic incidents. No lessons are ever learned from such tragedies. Public authorities continue to function in the same callous and indifferent manner.

Existing regulations require that one has to obtain permission from the police before holding any congregation. The police are required to verify the size of the area, holding capacity, and arrangements for controlling the crowd before according permission. It is often seen that permission is accorded without verifying all this and police go into an overdrive arresting the organisers after the tragedy has occurred.

We have state-sponsored events like the Maha Kumbh. It is nothing short of a celestial spectacle. The newspapers and the electronic media are all abuzz about the event and it is a matter of National Pride. More than 5 crore people descend into Allahabad which has a population of about 16 lakhs. Imagine a town receiving 35 times the numbers that reside. This is a recipe for disaster, A stampede is just waiting to happen. The situation is ripe for a mishap.

How to tackle such disasters

As a mature society, we need to seriously reflect on a policy for crowd management, particularly at religious events. Public authorities must engage with various stakeholders to draw up acceptable operating procedures. Police personnel must be trained for such procedures and they must be strictly enforced. Such procedures must be widely publicised so that the average citizen is made aware of the dos and don’ts and his behaviour confirms to the SOP. It is time to draw lessons from the past and prevent such avoidable loss of lives.

(The author is the former Indian Audit & Accounts Service officer)

(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are the author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)