A stampede at Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj during the Mauni Amavasya holy bath on Wednesday has once again highlighted the persistent challenges of crowd control at major religious gatherings in India. The incident brings back memories of past tragedies, including the 1954 Kumbh Mela stampede, which claimed around 500 lives as chaos erupted at the Sangam on Mauni Amavasya when an elephant went out of control. In the 1986 Haridwar Kumbh Mela disaster, over 200 people lost their lives.
According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau, between 1996 and 2022, India recorded 3,935 stampede incidents, resulting in more than 3,000 deaths. These recurring tragedies underscore the urgent need for stronger crowd management measures to prevent such disasters in the future.
A report by the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM – 2022) titled Training Module on Management of Crowd at Large Congregations highlights the rising frequency of stampedes at mass gatherings, including religious events, railway stations, political rallies, and sports venues. Factors such as population growth, urbanization, and increasing footfall at public places like malls and temples have significantly raised the risk of such incidents.
Worst recorded stampede
Defined as a mass impulse movement where crowds rush in an uncoordinated manner, stampedes often result in fatalities due to suffocation and trampling. The worst recorded stampede occurred in Chongqing, China, during World War II when a Japanese bombing on June 6, 1941, triggered mass panic, leading to the deaths of approximately 4,000 people—mostly due to suffocation inside an air raid shelter.
According to the report, anxiety and panic are the two primary behavioral triggers of a stampede. Panic can erupt suddenly from a minor incident, escalating into chaos. Even a small trigger can set off a deadly surge, emphasizing the urgent need for better crowd management and preventive measures at large gatherings.
Whose Responsibility?
The Union government told Rajya Sabha last month that though crowd management at pilgrimage sites is the responsibility of State Governments/Urban Local Bodies (ULB)/Temple Trust, the Government has taken various steps in improving infrastructure and overcome overcrowding through Swadesh Darshan, PRASHAD and Assistance to Central Agencies Schemes.
“ Furthermore, under the PRASHAD scheme, multiple components have been sanctioned which aim at enhancing the security and safety of pilgrims such as, railings at temple complex to manage crowd and effectively manage movements of pilgrims, CCTV systems and Illumination has been done in and around temple premises to ensure safety of pilgrims. Public announcement systems plus Directional and Informational signage’s in and around temple complex have been provided to help navigate tourists/pilgrims towards the designated destination” the government answered to the question stampedes at pilgrimage sites.
