Major Stampedes At Temples, Religious Gatherings In India

Stampedes are chaotic and often tragic events characterised by a large crowd moving uncontrollably, leading to injuries and sometimes fatalities. They typically happen in densely crowded spaces such as religious gatherings, festivals, sports events, or during emergencies. Causes can range from sudden panic, overcrowding and structural failures.

Hyderabad: At least 116 people, including women and three children, were killed in a stampede at a religious congregation in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, in one of the worst tragedies reported in recent years. The tragic incident happened in a village, Phulrai, about 40km from Hathras district headquarters. According to the police, many others were injured.

Here is the timeline of stampedes that took place across the country

1. 25.03.2024: A five-year-old girl died in a stampede at the Kottankulangara temple, Kollam in Kerala.
2. 17.03.2024: A stampede occurred during a pre-Holi event at the revered Shreeji Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura. The incident resulted in at least six devotees falling unconscious.
3. 24.12.2023: Two women devotees died of suffocation due to overcrowding at a temple in Mathura. The incident took place at Banke Bihari temple in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura.
4. 20.08.2022: A 65-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman died, while seven devotees were injured in a stampede-like situation at the Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh.
5. 01.01.2022: Twelve people died and over a dozen were injured in a stampede at the famous Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir triggered by a heavy rush of devotees.
6. 21.04.2019: Seven dead in stampede at temple festival in Tamil Nadu’s Trichy. According to the police, the incident took place during the ‘Chitra Pournami’ festival at the Karuppasamy temple at Muthayampalayam village, Trichy.“It was ‘Pidikkaasu’, an event of collecting coins from the priest before the Lord Karuppasamy idol in the temple. As, too, many people tried to get ‘Pidikkaasu’ the stampede occurred,” said a police officer.
7. 10.08.2015: At least 11 people were killed and 50 injured in a stampede at a temple in Jharkhand's Deoghar town. The stampede at the Baidyanath Jyotirlinga temple in Jharkhand erupted after pilgrims surged towards the building soon after the doors opened, the officer said. Those sleeping in the kilometres-long queue were trampled as others pushed towards the doors, SN Pradhan, additional director general of police, Jharkhand, said.
8. 14.07.2015: Twenty-seven pilgrims died and 20 others were injured in a stampede at a major bathing spot on the banks of the Godavari river where a huge crowd of devotees had gathered on the opening day of 'Pushkaram' in Rajahmundry of Andhra Pradesh.
9. 25.08.2014: Ten pilgrims were killed and over 20 injured when a rumour triggered a stampede at a temple in Madhya Pradesh's Satna district, authorities said. The stampede took place when the pilgrims were performing the 'parikrama' (circumambulation) on a hill near the Kamta Nath temple in Chitrakoot.
10. 13.10.2013: In all, 89 were killed and over 100 injured in a stampede near Ratangarh Hindu temple in Datia, Madhya Pradesh. Over 89 people were killed in the stampede on the bridge over the Sindh river leading to the temple at Ratangarh where lakhs of devotees had congregated, following rumours by some unidentified persons that it was collapsing," Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Chambal Range, DK Arya said.
11. 14.01.2011: In all, 106 pilgrims were killed in a stampede at Sabarimala shrine in Kerela; over 100 were injured. The stampede occurred when a jeep crashed into homebound pilgrims at Pulmedu in Kerala's Idukki district. The pilgrims were coming to catch a bus when there was a stampede at Pulmedu. This resulted in the death of 104 people, while more than 40 were injured,"
12. 04.03.2010: Sixty-three people were killed in a stampede at Ram Janki Temple in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, as people collected to get free clothes and food from a self-styled godman. The stampede occurred during a religious congregation at Ram Janki temple in the Mangarh area of Pratapgarh district as around 5,000 devotees had gathered for a Bhandara (community lunch) organised by Kripalu Maharaj. According to initial reports, one of the main gates at the site collapsed due to the rush of devotees leading to the stampede.
13. 30.09.2008: Over 244 people suffocated to death in a stampede at the Chamunda Devi temple located inside the Mehrangarh Fort premises in Jodhpur in Rajasthan. The incident occurred in a narrow passageway that leads to the deity in the temple where around 300 devotees had crowded. Senior officials had then stated that the stampede was caused by a few devotees slipping and triggered a chain reaction.
14. 03.08.2006: Nearly 150 devotees were killed and over 400 injured in a stampede in Himachal Pradesh's Naina Devi temple. Rumours of a landslide and rolling down of boulders from a nearby hilltop spread fear among the devotees resulting in the stampede as a large number of people trekking up and returning from the shrine ran into each other in a bid to escape.
15. 26.01.2005: Mandher Devi temple near Wai in Satara district in western Maharashtra. Thousands of devotees thronging Mandhar Devi temple, panicked after sparks flew due to an electrical short circuit in the wiring. The crowd rushed to a narrow path leading to the temple, and a stampede resulted. As people tripped and fell over each other, 291 people died over 200 were injured.
16. 27.08.2003: Nearly, 39 people were killed and around 140 injured in a stampede during the holy bath at the Kumbh Mela in Maharashtra's Nashik district.

Major reasons for stampedes at religious events in India

A study conducted on stampedes at religious festivals indicates that religious mass gatherings in India are often organised in rural areas, thereby increasing vulnerability due to venue inadequacies and infrastructure limitations. The report illustrates at length that the safety and comfort of religious mass gatherings are primarily influenced by the vulnerability of the location and their accompanying characteristics.

Religious festivals, especially when located in remote rural areas on hilly terrains, on the foothills or at river banks lacking proper pathways always pose a geographic risk to pilgrims.

Steep slopes, uneven topography of the venue, dead ends, slippery and muddy floors, narrow passages and convergence of pedestrian flow to a single point are among the common risks prevailing in religious gathering sites, compromising safety and triggering stampedes.

Over the years, risk management strategies to tackle religious stampedes in India have been inadequate and have failed consistently.

A 2013 study published by the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (IJDRR) points out that religious gatherings and pilgrimages have been venues for 79% of the stampedes in India.

In developed countries, most stampedes take place in stadia, venues of music concerts and night clubs, but in India and other developing countries, the majority of the crowd disasters happen at religious places.

Most of the religious festivals are located in areas like banks of rivers, hilly terrains or mountain tops. These areas lack proper pathways, posing a geographical risk to the pilgrims," says Faisel T Illiyas, assistant professor at Kerala government’s Institute of Land and Disaster Management, who is also the author of the IJDRR study.

Measures to control crowds in mass gatherings by IIMA

The study, conducted by the Indian Institute of Management- Ahmedabad (IIMA), suggested solutions for managing crowds in mass gatherings, including deployment of a snake line approach, discouraging general admission, alternative routes for releasing excessive crowd pressure and formulating plans to take care of VIP visitors. It said the authorities should not hesitate to refuse entry to VIPs if assessment indicates that it will add to safety concerns and ensure emergency exits are not barricaded, blocked or otherwise inaccessible.

The study suggested that generators, distribution boxes, and circuit breakers should be kept in an isolated place away from the mischievous crowd elements and there should be adequate fencing and security if required, and electrical appliances should have protection from the weather, too.

There should be safe and clearly labelled storage of fuel (e.g. diesel to be used by generators) and attempts should be made to minimise tripping hazards (electrical cables, wires) coming in the way of crowd movements and ensure that these are covered and there is a sufficient number of fire extinguishers at critical control points.