A man-made tragedy

A sea of people gathered beside the actual water mass in Mumbai’s Marine Drive giving the Indian cricket team a hero’s welcome. From the previous T-20 World Cup’s heartbreak to this year’s ecstatic joy, the congregation reflected the passions of the men in blue. Cricket is a religion in India for which thousands show up. And all my anxious mind could think of was — hope there’s no stampede. How can one not think of poor outcomes when barely a couple of days earlier, another sea of people at a large religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras met with a tragic end. A self-styled guru called Bhole Baba decided to have a ‘satsang’; and as devotees started leaving the venue, there was rush, chaos, possibly a dust storm, and ultimately, a pile of bodies choked to death — 121 people died.

India has a ridiculous history of major stampedes. Over decades, several such incidents have caused unnecessary loss of life. It’s a long, lifeless list of places, dates, deaths — Nashik Kumbh mela, Maharashtra (August 27, 2003) killing 39, Mandher Devi temple, Maharashtra (January 25, 2005) killing 265, Naina Devi temple, Himachal Pradesh (August 3, 2008) killing 145, Chamundagar temple, Rajasthan (September 30, 2008) killing 250, Ram Janki temple, Uttar Pradesh (March 4, 2010) killing 63, Sabarimala, Kerala (January 14, 2011) killing 106, Kumbh Mela, Uttar Pradesh (February 10, 2013) killing 36, Ratangarh temple, Madhya Pradesh (October 13, 2013) killing 115, Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh (July 14, 2015) killing 27, Elphinstone Road railway station, Mumbai, Maharashtra (September 29, 2017) killing 23, Vaishno Devi temple, Jammu (January 1, 2022) killing 12. Compensations are doled out and it becomes business as usual the next day.

It’s a sobering fact, and not a religious jab, that most stampedes have arisen at religious gatherings. The very first Kumbh Mela, organised in free India on February 3, 1954, set the precedent; tainted as it was with the blood of over 800 people who asphyxiated in a stampede.

We repeatedly notice similar instances of overcrowding, poor management, less than ideal emergency preparations, lack of adequate exits, and sub-par fire safety protocols. In the Hathras case for example, the administration purportedly gave permission for 80,000 participants but 2.5 lakh attended. How do we allow such an exponential increase of attendees at an event? We may have contributed the word ‘bandobast’ to the English dictionary but seem to have forgotten what it means!

Stampedes are entirely avoidable — organising, preparing, permitting or refusing — are key aspects to ensuring that a large gathering of people whether it’s for a religious event, a music concert or a sports tournament goes off without incident. Since I started this column writing about cricket, just think about that — thousands of Indian citizens file into a cricket stadium several times a year, enjoy the match, and get home alive. Ponder also about Kolkata’s annual Durga Puja jamboree — lakhs of people walking the city streets at the same time for 5 whole days every year. What works to keep tragedies at bay is disciplined behaviour, adherence to rules, and flawless organisational skills. This is not optional.

Stampedes are caused because of lack of safety planning on one hand and panic-stricken mob behaviour on the other. Most often, people are scared, filled with trepidation, leading to overreaction and hysterical behaviour, leading to falls, pile-ups, suffocation, and deaths. Remember those nauseatingly loud, monotonous instructions heard on microphones and loudspeakers? It’s their purpose to direct and instruct crowds, pass on information, and keep fear and emotions under control. Event managers, police, security personnel, CCTV coverage, volunteers, medical crew and ambulances — much goes into organising a public event. A lackadaisical ‘chalta hain’ attitude along with a thrill of side-stepping laws has consumed our people. It must end for meaningless deaths to finally stop.

The writer is an author and media entrepreneur. Views expressed are personal