Shameful recurrence
The tragic stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj has once again exposed the glaring failures of the administration. Dozens of lives are reported to have been lost, and many more are severely injured, in what should have been a well-managed religious gathering. The event, as it unfolded, turned into a scene of lethal chaos. Many helpless devotees have been crushed underfoot, and their belongings scattered in panic. The images of bodies being carried away and people sobbing on the ground are truly haunting. The extent of damage and casualties is not yet fully confirmed. It won’t at all be wrong to say that the accident represents a failure of governance at every level.
The Kumbh Mela is certainly not a new event. It is the world’s largest religious gathering, drawing millions of people over several weeks. The government knew that Wednesday, the day of the ‘Amrit Snan,’ would see an overwhelming number of devotees. Despite this, the crowd management system collapsed. Barricades that were meant to control movement ended up creating deadly bottlenecks. The police, too, failed utterly in controlling the situation on ground. The sheer mismanagement is inexcusable by all measures. What makes this tragedy even more shameful is that history has repeated itself. A similar stampede occurred at the Kumbh in 2013, killing 36 people. In fact, one doesn’t have to go that far. Last year, in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras itself, a deadly stampede had resulted in over 120 casualties. This event, too, had religious overtones as it occurred during a satsang of some Bhole Baba. There have been other incidents of stampedes as well. As per a NCRB’s report titled ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India,’ the number of deaths caused by stampedes between 2001 and 2022 shows that a total of 3,074 lives have been lost due to stampedes in India. It goes without saying that lessons should have been learned, but unfortunately, they were not. The Uttar Pradesh government and the Centre spent thousands of crores on the Kumbh event. They boasted of AI-powered crowd control facilities, extensive security arrangements, and high-tech monitoring, among other things. But when the moment of crisis arrived, all these grand preparations fell apart.
Adding to the mismanagement, the Opposition claims, is the ugly reality of VIP culture under present dispensation. While lakhs of ordinary devotees allegedly struggled in an overcrowded space, politicians, celebrities, and industrialists were said to have been given special privileges. The administration, it is alleged, seemed more focused on managing their movement than ensuring the safety of the common people. The opposition’s criticism of this so-called elitism is not completely unjustified—this is not how a public event should be run. The Kumbh belongs to the people, not just to the rich and powerful.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offered condolences and assured that the situation was under control. But words mean little when the damage has already been done. The need of the hour is accountability. Who will take responsibility for these deaths? Who will answer for the families who have lost their loved ones in what should have been a sacred and safe pilgrimage? There are still several weeks left of the Kumbh Mela. The government must act immediately to fix the lapses in crowd control measures, medical aid, and overall event management. More lives cannot be put at risk due to sheer negligence. This tragedy was preventable. If swift action is not taken, it may not be the last.
