 "Stampede at ‘satsang’ in UP's Hathras: Why are religious gatherings in India prone to such tragedies?")
A horrific stampede in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras has claimed dozens of lives. At least 116 people were crushed to death in a satsang, a religious event, in the district on Tuesday (July 2).
According to officials, thousands of devotees were present at the religious gathering of Bhole Baba, a religious preacher, when the incident took place. Disturbing visuals from the site of the tragedy show bodies, mostly of women, lying as people look on.
What caused the stampede? Why are such tragedies common in India?
Hathras stampede
The stampede took place during the address by the religious preacher and his wife at a makeshift tent in the Ratibhanpur village under the Sikandra Rau tehsil of the Hathras district.
An Uttar Pradesh police official told Indian Express, “There was a presence of at least 15,000 people at the satsang in Sikandara Rau today. We do not know the exact cause of the stampede but a majority of deaths were a result of suffocation.”
According to a Hindustan Times (HT) report, police, prima facie, believe suffocation caused discomfort among people who started running, leading to a stampede.
It was “hot and humid” during the event, the police said.
“A temporary permission was granted for the gathering at the spot situated on the border of Etah and Hathras districts,” Shalabh Mathur, Inspector General of Police, Aligarh range, said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHundreds of injured were admitted to hospitals. According to one of the victims, the incident occurred when the satsang ended and people rushed to leave.
“There was a huge crowd gathered of followers at the spot. There was no way out, and everybody fell on each other, and a stampede took place. When I tried to move out, there were motorcycles parked outside, which blocked my way. Many fainted while others died,” the victim, who was admitted to a nearby hospital, was quoted as saying by HT.
The Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement that more devotees were present at the satsang than permitted officially. “The number of attendees exceeded the administration’s permitted limit at the venue, leading to a stampede during Bhole Baba’s satsang,” the government said, as per Indian Express.
Past incidents
Thousands of people have lost their lives in mass stampedes at temples and other religious sites over the years in India.
A dozen devotees died and several others were injured in a stampede at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir in January 2022, following a heavy surge in crowd.
In July 2015, a stampede in Andhra Pradesh’s Rajahmundry claimed 27 lives at a major bathing spot on the banks of the Godavari river, where pilgrims had gathered to bathe believing its water would wash away their sins. The devotees had gathered to mark a 12-day Hindu religious festival called Godavari Maha Pushkaram, which takes place only once every 144 years.
In October 2013, over 100 people were killed and another 100 wounded in a stampede during Navratri celebrations near Ratangarh temple in Madhya Pradesh’s Datia district. The tragedy happened after rumours spread that the river bridge that devotees were crossing was about to cave in.
Another incident had occurred the same month when 32 people were crushed to death at Gandhi Maidan in Patna a little after the end of Dussehra celebrations.
India saw three of its worst stampede tragedies in 2008 and 2005. In September 2008, as many as 250 devotees died and over 60 were injured after a rumour of a bomb explosion at Chamunda Devi temple in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur city triggered panic.
In August of that year, a stampede had killed 162 people and injured over 40 after rumour of rockslides at Naina Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur district.
Maharashtra reported a grim tragedy in January 2005 when over 340 devotees died and hundreds were injured in a stampede during an annual pilgrimage at Mandhardevi temple in Satara district. The accident occurred at the steps of the inner sanctum where devotees, mostly women and children, slipped on coconut water and were trampled by those coming inside.
Why do such tragedies occur?
There are many factors that can cause stampedes , such as rumours that trigger panic, ill-management and overcrowding.
Mass stampedes at religious gatherings are not rare in India despite the many lives they claim. A 2013 study in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction had found that religious gatherings and pilgrimages make for 79 per cent of stampedes in India.
Teresa Moore with the International Centre for Crowd Management had told _The Wall Street Journa_l in 2013, “The higher tolerance for crowded spaces in India allows for people to get closer, because they don’t feel uncomfortable until it is very packed.”
She said that such crowds often grow in number too fast. “People panic and react. Couple that with a rumor, which can come out of that feeling of panic, that’s when you can get a surge or a problem,” she said.
The risk of stampede heightens as several major temples are located on hills, the banks of rivers or some other uneven terrain.
The 2013 study stated, “The triggers of human stampedes have been identified from case studies and it is concluded that a simple accident, an intentional act or even a rumour can trigger a crowd disturbance”.
“Religious festivals, especially when located at remote rural areas and on hilly terrains, and on the foothills or at riverbanks lacking proper pathways always pose a geographical risk to the pilgrims. Steep slopes, uneven topography of the venue, dead ends, slippery and muddy floors, narrow passages, convergence of pedestrian flow to a single point are among the common risks prevailing in religious gathering sites, compromising safety and triggering stampedes,” it further noted.
The role of authorities and their failure to manage such huge crowds cannot be overlooked. While the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had released guidelines in 2014 for crowd management, such accidents continue to occur.
The active implementation of crowd control measures can help in avoiding such tragedies. By ensuring separate entry and exit points at a location, deploying adequate police and security personnel and using a public address system to dispel rumours, stampedes can be prevented, saving many precious lives.
With inputs from agencies
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