List of Major Stampedes at Religious Places in the Last 10 Years in India

India, a country renowned for its diverse range of religious and cultural occurrences, has seen several devastating stampedes in the past decade. Huge gatherings with insufficient crowd control procedures frequently lead to these catastrophes. In the past ten years, there have been several significant stampedes at Indian sacred sites.

During a religious ceremony in the Hathras area, there was a stampede that resulted in over 100 deaths and several injuries. Unfortunately, there have been other fatal stampedes at temples and religious gatherings in India in the past, so this is not an unprecedented incident.

Here are major 10 of them:

1. Sabarimala Temple, Kerala (2011):

A stampede at the Sabarimala Temple in 2011 claimed 102 lives. A jeep crashed into a group of pilgrims on a constrained path, starting the event and spreading panic and confusion.

2. Ratangarh Mata Temple, Madhya Pradesh (2013):

115 people lost their lives in a tragic stampede that happened at the Ratangarh Mata Temple in 2013 during the Navratri celebration. A bridge collapse was said to have occurred, which sparked panic and a rush that resulted in a stampede.

3. Gandhimai Festival, Bihar (2014):

In 2014, a horrific stampede at the Gandhimai Festival claimed the lives of eleven individuals. Known for its extensive animal sacrifices, the celebration drew an enormous crowd that eventually turned unmanageable.

4. Godavari Pushkaralu, Andhra Pradesh (2015):

In 2015, several pilgrims died in Rajahmundry during the Godavari Pushkaralu festival due to a stampede. When a large number of devotees hurried to the river to take a holy dip, the fatal incident took place.

5. Vijayadasami Festival, Bihar (2016):

At the Patna Vijayadasami celebration in 2016, there was a stampede that claimed 24 people dead. At the Gandhi Maidan, there was an extensive crowd when the incident happened, and there were reports that a live wire had fallen into the throng, which led to panic.

6. Maha Pushkaralu, Telangana (2016):

At the Godavari Ghats in Rajahmundry, another deadly stampede occurred during the Maha Pushkaralu in 2016, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries. The rush resulted from the favorable timing of the holy dip.

7. Mumbai, Elphinstone Road Station (2017):

The 2017 stampede at Elphinstone Road Station amid a religious festival rush claimed the lives of 23 individuals, despite not being at a place of worship. It was overcrowding on a little footbridge that caused the unfortunate incident.

8. Kachua Loknath Temple, West Bengal (2018):

During the Janmashtami celebrations in 2018, there was a stampede at the Kachua Loknath Temple that left multiple persons injured and three dead. The stampede started as a significant number of people hurried to pray.

9. Vaishno Devi Temple, Jammu and Kashmir (2019):

Twelve individuals lost their lives in a stampede at the Vaishno Devi Temple in 2019. The event happened during the New Year's festivities when an unforeseen surge of devotees overflowed the facilities.

10. Maha Kumbh Mela, Haridwar (2021):

There were various stampedes reported at the Maha Kumbh Mela in 2021, leading to numerous injuries. The situation became more complicated because of the difficulties in controlling massive crowds during the pandemic.

The aforementioned sad occurrences highlight the pressing necessity for enhanced crowd management and safety protocols during religious assemblies in India. The safety of devotees must be the top priority for authorities, and they should do this by putting strict safeguards in place such as emergency response plans, real-time monitoring, and improved infrastructure to avert similar tragedies.