- As you can easily relate, reams and reams have been written on the subject matter evoking a gamut of emotions like angst, anger, disappointment, cynicism, and helplessness watching scores of innocent lives being forsaken mindlessly for want of adhering to simple precautions time and again. It is also deeply disturbing to notice how frequently the occurrences of stampedes are happening around the country leading to avoidable mishaps resulting in deaths. India is a diverse country spread across a large swathe of landscapes dotted with different cultures, traditions, languages, ethnicities, dialects, and habits. Yes, belief and faith also play a prominent role in our daily lives, greatly characterizing our existence in more than one way.
PC: The Economic Times
- Of course, we are a deeply religious country too with the majority believing in the philosophy of God Almighty guiding our daily path. And then, we also have an affinity to look up to godmen believing the discourses forthcoming from several powerful ones dotting our landscape are next to divine. Some of these discourses organized by the followers lead to disastrous outcomes that are not lost on the comprehending citizens. Little wonder that recent stampedes like the one in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh are frequent as official permissions for events don’t ask basic questions. As fatalities climb beyond 120 from the stampede at a religious event in Hathras, authorities have promised the usual trio of response – compensation, investigation, and bluster. What else?
- These are routines accompanying every such mass accident which mostly claim the lives of poor people. At least 2,000 people have died in stampedes over the last 20 years at religious sites and celebrations across India. The reality is there’s barely any report of legal closure of any such tragedy. UP has ordered a judicial inquiry, there’s a PIL for a CBI probe. Intriguingly, a key organizer isn’t named in the FIR. As reported, over 2.5L people had gathered when permission was for 80k. Such massive overcrowding and insufficient exits – motorbikes recklessly parked blocked the single entrance/exit – was worsened by rain that had turned the paddy fields into sludge. And as evident in the events that led up to the crash, it was, as stampedes always are, a spiral of mass behavior.
PC: Mint
- This is extremely difficult to stop. Whether in the rush for a holy dip, or slippery steps to temples, or as in Hathras, clambering to grab soil from where the godman had walked, it’s a momentary craze that drives stampedes. Patterns repeat themselves in every such accident. It is also evident why investigations rarely see accountability or action taken. Because after the mandatory noises, there’s a deep-set belief stampedes can’t be stopped. Truth is, there are well-established measures recommended for large events to minimize the chances of crush, of humans in frenzy and panic. This gets conveniently ignored by the official apathy and scant disregard for comprehensive safety measures. Can it not be stopped from recurring? Not impossible though.
