(Scypre.com) – In a tragic turn of events, at least 116 individuals lost their lives in a stampede that occurred during a congregation led by a Hindu religious preacher in Hathras, a town in northern India. The incident, which unfolded on Tuesday, has sparked sorrow and questions about crowd management and safety protocols at such gatherings.
According to a senior police officer overseeing the region, the stampede erupted amidst a large gathering of devotees. Two conflicting narratives have emerged regarding the cause of the stampede. Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh where the tragedy took place, suggested that the chaos began when organizers prevented a group of devotees from approaching the religious preacher. Conversely, district administrator Ashish Kumar attributed the incident to the oppressive heat and humidity inside the makeshift tent where the congregation was being held.
Eyewitness accounts and videos shared on social media painted a grim picture of bodies strewn outside local hospitals as the community grappled with the aftermath. Reports indicated that the event, which was authorized to accommodate 5,000 attendees, drew a crowd of approximately 15,000, with some estimates suggesting as many as 50,000 were present.
The government swiftly responded with an announcement of compensation equivalent to $2,500 for each deceased person’s family. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences for the victims, while opposition leaders in Parliament pointed fingers at governmental oversight as contributing to the tragedy.
Stampedes at religious gatherings are sadly not uncommon in India, often exacerbated by inadequate crowd control measures. In 2013, one of the deadliest incidents in recent memory occurred when a bridge railing gave way at a pilgrimage site, resulting in 115 deaths and over 100 injuries. Following such tragedies, India’s disaster management authorities released guidelines aimed at preventing stampedes, including provisions for route planning, CCTV installation, traffic regulation, and medical emergency preparedness.
Janki Andharia, a professor specializing in Disaster Studies, highlighted the uneven implementation of these guidelines across different pilgrimage sites. “While places like the Amarnath and Tirupati temples have robust crowd management systems, these practices are not consistently applied, and knowledge sharing is limited,” she remarked.
Despite a decline in reported stampede deaths in recent years, largely attributed to these guidelines, experts caution that underreporting remains an issue. Andharia emphasized, “The reduction in reported deaths may not accurately reflect the ground reality. Unfortunately, the value of human life often takes a backseat in our country.”