A thorough probe is called for into the causes of the stampede on Saturday night at the New Delhi railway station because there is very little accountability when such unfortunate events take place, and all the blame is usually placed on the people
A second fatal stampede involving Maha Kumbh pilgrims is two tragedies too many. It reflects poorly on the nation’s people as they seem to behave in the worst possible way in pushing, shoving and jostling when they find themselves in a crowded situation.
A thorough probe is called for into the causes of the stampede on Saturday night at the New Delhi railway station because there is very little accountability when such unfortunate events take place, and all the blame is usually placed on the people.
Was confusion created over platform numbers for trains by an announcement over the PA system that caused people to surge towards another platform which they may have been led to believe would be the one from which the Prayagraj Express would be departing.
The impossible crush of pilgrims trying to rush for a bath in the sacred waters of the Triveni Sangam near Prayagraj should have called for greater preparedness in the logistics of an extraordinary movement of people towards one place in the country.
It is not enough to only ensure that VIPs get to bathe when they wish. One tragedy had occurred already in which the official toll is said to be 30 while the real toll may have been 79, and perhaps in thousands depending on who was calling the numbers and their political preferences. It was tragic then that the national capital saw scenes of such panic miles away from the confluence of rivers.
History will never tire of telling the story of how the Japanese people of Fukushima, hit by an unbelievable triple whammy of earthquake, tsunami and a nuclear spill from a power plant, stood in a queue patiently for hours together to get food handouts. No one scrambled to get to the desired place ahead of anyone else.
It is unlikely that Indians ever get to behave with such exemplary discipline when in public places. They have been dying in some numbers from stampedes and road mishaps around movements aligned with the Maha Kumbh. But that does not absolve the authorities of trying to make the best possible arrangements for people to get to a stop in the tens of millions that is being spoken of.
