As the Indian Railways mulls a slew of measures for better crowd management in the wake of at least 18 people being killed in a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station on February 15, the Opposition has trained its guns at the government for its “negligence.”
The stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station, where thousands of pilgrims had gathered to travel to Prayagraj for Mahakumbh, took place just a few weeks after several people were killed and hundreds were injured in a crowd crush in Prayagraj.
Newspaper editorials have also taken note of the inadequateness displayed by the state and union government at preparing for an event believed to be the largest human gathering. Many also pointed out how proactive steps by the Indian Railways could have averted the February 15 stampede.
In an editorial titled “Stampedes expose systemic flaws,” Deccan Herald called out the “official policy of denial and misrepresentation” in the aftermath of such tragedies. “The toll is usually downplayed and the circumstances are not correctly stated. This prevents a proper analysis of the situation and allows guilty people to escape accountability; furthermore, this prevents learnings that could help avoid similar incidents in the future.”
Hinting at an “attempted cover-up” in the case of the New Delhi stampede, the newspaper noted how “the Delhi Lt Governor changed his version of the incident in minutes and dropped the word ‘stampede’ from his comment.”
In its editorial, The Hindu, said that the “confused response” of the Railways to the New Delhi stampede “indicated the Centre’s unwillingness to countenance the disaster, on the back of an expense of ₹7,500 crore for the mela and its various hi-tech preparations.”
The editorial further said: “Officials were reluctant to confirm that people had died even as local hospitals were confirming deaths. In one particularly unfair statement, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (Railways) blamed ‘unnecessary’ rush at the New Delhi railway station for the ‘catastrophe.’”
In an editorial published on February 17, The Indian Express observed that there were “administrative lapses and failures” that led to the stampedes in Prayagraj and New Delhi. The editorial said: “The two tragedies should be eye-openers for the authorities that had drawn out extensive plans for the safety of Kumbh devotees. The loss of nearly 50 lives in these incidents should lead to a hard reckoning on what went wrong.”
For the world’s most populous country, The Times of India called for crowd management not to be treated as a “special task,” “but a constant that needs to be incorporated in every design – especially in commuting.”
Observing how “stampede-like” situations were now becoming an Indian staple in every city, TOI said: “It takes seconds for a crowd to gather at even minor road accidents. The core principle of crowd management – density, flow and pace – must be at the centre of all planning. It starts with a change in mindset and approach.”
Asserting how crowd management was “rarely a top priority” for authorities at all levels, The Tribune, said their “response is mostly reactive, not proactive.” “Adequate deployment of security personnel to regulate crowd movement and meticulous planning of the arrangements are prerequisites for ensuring that nothing untoward happens during events with mass participation. But who cares?” it noted.
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