Managing Religious Crowds: NDMA Insights to Prevent Stampedes

Why the news?

A stampede at the Mahakumbh Mela led to fatalities and injuries. An NDMA report highlighted structural issues, poor crowd control, and behavioral factors as causes, urging proactive planning and better crowd management at religious events.

Managing Religious Crowds: NDMA Insights to Prevent Stampedes

Causes and Factors Behind Stampedes:

  • Stampedes are caused by structural issues (weak temporary structures, narrow exits, poor lighting, and barricading).
  • Inadequate crowd control, poor coordination, and crowd behavior contribute significantly.
  • Overcrowding, panic, or sudden reverse crowd movement often leads to suffocation, crushing, or trampling
  • Historical incidents like the Nashik Kumbh 2003 and Kalubai Yatra 2005 were caused by poor infrastructure, wrong crowd estimates, and illegal vendor setups.

Role of Crowd Behavior in Stampede Prevention:

  • Understanding crowd psychology is essential for preventing disasters.
  • Individual actions are often influenced by group behavior, which can escalate chaotic situations.
  • Long waits may cause devotees to climb fences, triggering overcrowding.
  • Inappropriate crowd control methods, such as police mismanagement, can worsen the situation.

Effective Crowd Management Strategies:

  • Proactive and holistic planning and execution are crucial for effective crowd control.
  • Key strategies include:
    • Controlling inflow through entry restrictions.
    • Regulating movement at the venue.
    • Managing outflow
  • Authorities must assess venue capacity and historical crowd patterns for better planning.
  • Online registration systems, as used at Vaishnodevi and Sabarimala, help regulate crowd arrivals.
  • In venues where increasing capacity is impossible, authorities should ensure comfortable waiting arrangements for devotees.

What is a Stampede?

  • A stampede is a sudden, disorderly mass movement of a crowd, often triggered by perceived danger, loss of space, or desire for gratification, leading to injuries and fatalities.

Infamous Stampede Cases in India:

  • Allahabad Kumbh Mela (1954): Deadliest Kumbh stampede; 800 fatalities.
  • Wai Temple (2005): 340 deaths in Maharashtra’s Satara district.
  • Naina Devi Temple (2008): Landslide rumors caused 145 deaths.
  • Chamunda Devi Temple (2008): 168 fatalities.
  • Allahabad Railway (2013): Panic due to platform change; 36 deaths.
  • Mumbai Bridge (2017): 22 killed, 32 injured.
  • Vaishno Devi Shrine (2022): 12 fatalities.
  • Hathras Gathering (2024): 121 women died in Uttar Pradesh.

Stampede Statistics in India:

  • NCRB (2000-2013): Over 2,000 stampede deaths.
  • IJDRR Study (2013): 79% stampedes occur at religious gatherings.

Sources Referred:

PIB, The Hindu, Indian Express, Hindustan Times