Mahakumbh Stampede: When Faith Turns Into A Spectacle, It’s An Invite To Disaster

When a matter of faith turns into a glitzy, attention-grabbing event and the number of devotees a measure of its success, disaster is never too far away. The tragedy at Prayagraj, which has claimed more than 30 lives so far, once again reminds us of the sad truth about our large religious gatherings. The more depressing truth is we never learn any lessons from earlier disasters. Stampedes have been a recurring occurrence and the reasons and solutions are well-documented, yet not much has changed.

Devotion and death should not come clubbed together, but they unfortunately do. From the stampede at the ongoing Mahakumbh to the death of 121 devotees at Hathras in Uttar Pradesh last year to the loss of 12 lives at Vaishnodevi temple in Jammu and Kashmir in 2022 to the loss of 29 lives at the pushkaram in Andhra Pradesh in 2015 to the death of 115 devotees at Ratnagiri in Madhya Pradesh in 2013 to the death of 102 people in Idukki district in Kerala in 2011 – the list is long. They keep happening all over India at intervals – from Jammu and Kashmir in the North to Kerala in deep South and from Bihar in the East to Rajasthan in the West.

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, goes the Murphy’s law. Everything indeed has been going wrong at our religious gatherings. No one can blame the devotees for gathering in massive numbers, particularly after the organisers launch a media blitzkrieg to attract them to the event. They cannot expect millions of people to behave in a disciplined and organised way. The Uttar Pradesh government expects more than 45 crore devotees to take the holy dip at Prayagraj. That’s almost a third of India’s population and bigger than the entire population of most countries.

The arrangement to accommodate such a big gathering, no doubt, is impressive. It covers approximately 4,000 hectares, divided into 25 sectors, with 150,000 tents, enhanced sanitation and transportation facilities. The bathing ghats have been increased to 12 kilometres to facilitate the holy dip. And 40,000 police officers are present to ensure the safety of the devotees and AI-powered surveillance systems are in place. The preparation justifies the budget of Rs 7,500 crore.

Yet, as the stampede at the Mahakumbh suggests, no preparation is enough. When it’s a matter of large crowds, things can go wrong any moment. A false alarm, a sudden rush or a jostle to complete the rituals can disrupt all readiness. Why do the organisers stay unprepared for such eventualities, particularly when it’s well-known by now that they are the trigger for panic and rush in every mishap? It’s obvious that our crowd management still has many glaring holes. These holes keep surfacing at frequent intervals.

Then why prioritise VIPs over ordinary devotees? As media reports from Prayagraj suggest, considerable energy and capacity of the police force was devoted to ensure comfort for VIPs arriving to take the holy bath. There has been a steady stream of them. When the crowd pressure threatened to knock down the barricade, there were less than adequate policemen to control the situation. VIP care is an aberration that has crept into all religious festivals. On all such occasions the faithful, who travel a long distance enduring considerable pain, remain insignificant. They are the people who die or lose their near and dear ones. Why must it be so?

Questions should also be raised on the idea of turning religious events into a commercial exercise. The Uttar Pradesh government is expected to earn revenue to the tune of Rs 2 lakh crore and Rs 2.5 lakh crore during the Kumbhmela and has made no secret of it. All big brands across sectors – from tech to FMCG – are present and all are vying for visibility. More devotees mean more consumers. Somewhere it doesn’t have a right ring to it. The celebration of faith cannot reduce the devotee to a consumer. More footfalls is a recipe for stampedes.

Somewhere the line between faith and spectacle needs to be clear. The idea of spectacle is bereft spiritual fervour. Recurring stampedes should force us to introspect.

(By arrangement with Perspective Bytes)