Editorial: Yet another stampede tragedy

The Puri stampede once again exposes the flaws in India’s crowd management strategies as well as how the well-entrenched VIP culture harms the interests of common devotees

One feels a grim sense of déjà vu whenever stampedes occur in India. The patterns are disturbingly familiar, as are the responses that follow. Compensation is announced, a probe is ordered, and a few officials are suspended amid a political blame game. Yet, no lessons are learned from past mistakes. It’s business as usual till the next tragedy strikes. This has been the story of all recent stampede cases, be it Prayagraj, New Delhi, Tirupati, Goa, Bengaluru and now Puri. Three persons were killed and over 50 injured in a stampede during the annual chariot procession of Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha. This once again exposed the chinks in India’s crowd management strategies and also how the well-entrenched VIP culture is harming the interests of common devotees at religious gatherings. It is shameful that a special entry for VIPs led to overcrowding, and contributed to this unfortunate incident. Such avoidable tragedies dent public trust in the authorities, with lesser mortals fearing that their lives are on the line whenever they become a part of large crowds. Media reports indicated that a common exit gate was closed to create a separate VIP entry, forcing pilgrims to exit through the already congested entrance. A single corridor being used for the flow in both directions resulted in amplifying crowd pressure. The authorities failed to manage a crowd of over 10 lakh devotees and tourists who descended on the temple town from across the country and abroad.

The ruling BJP found itself on the back foot — weeks after it tore into Karnataka’s Congress government over the horrific chaos outside Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has tendered an apology on behalf of his government, but such gestures are meaningless unless those responsible for the lapses are brought to justice in a time-bound manner. In a face-saving move, the government has shifted the Puri Collector and Superintendent of Police. There was a clear lack of coordination between the temple authorities and local administration. The absence of senior officials at the time was also flagged as one of the key lapses. The key part of the centuries-old tradition at Puri is the nine-day chariot procession, or Rath Yatra, when Lord Jagannath travels with his two siblings, Balabhadra and Subhadra, to their aunt Gundicha’s home. Each stampede is a stark reminder that it is not miracles but proper planning and crowd management protocols that will save us. In the last one year, there have been nine stampedes — six of which occurred at religious gatherings. Adequate deployment of security personnel to regulate crowd movement and meticulous planning are prerequisites to prevent untoward incidents. Time and again, India’s administrators have failed to learn from past tragedies — from religious stampedes to election rallies.

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