Falling off the tracks again

The stampede that resulted in the death of at least 18 people at the New Delhi railway station on Saturday night was a tragedy waiting to happen, sparked by a combination of events both one-off and ubiquitous. The platform where the accident happened is always crowded. Indeed, a few hours after the stampede, it was again choked with people. Why? And why did Indian Railways think it was all right to sell far more general tickets than the train’s capacity? Did the announcement of a change in the train’s arrival, or delays in other trains departing from the same platform contribute to the crowding and chaos? What was unconscionable was the initial reaction of the authorities — not very different from that to the stampede at Prayagraj last month. Denial, then an attempt to downplay the loss of lives (starkly highlighted by Delhi’s lieutenant governor tweeting about the deaths and then editing his message), and finally, an effort to convey that everything was under control. The administration must conduct a thorough and transparent probe to fix accountability and provide answers — not just about the accident but the response and behaviour after.

The painful scenes on display at the railway station on Saturday night came just weeks after similarly tragic events played out during the Mauni Amavasya Shahi Snan in Prayagraj. The deaths of at least 30 people at the Sangam site were supposed to act as a warning, but clearly, the authorities are yet to fully respond to it. With mammoth numbers of devotees headed to the Maha Kumbh, Uttar Pradesh, as well as other states that act as the source of the pilgrims, must install foolproof plans for crowd control, remain vigilant, and not allow any laxity while preparing for big days. With trains acting as the primary source of transport for millions of Indians, railway stations will naturally act as nodes for this sea of humanity headed for the Maha Kumbh. Hence, tighter arrangements and better prior planning will be required to ward off any more untoward incidents. This is all the more important given that roughly two weeks remain in the holy event.

The two stampedes have shown that contrary to claims, planning to prepare for the mega holy event is severely deficient. They have highlighted that crowd control measures have to look beyond policemen with lathis shepherding crowds and mere personnel deployment, and involve better organisation, coordination, scientific planning, and data-driven decision-making, especially by factoring in crowd estimation and identifying pressure points in transit lines, site arrangements, etc. Business as usual is not an option. The human toll of such callousness has proven far too high, and authorities and governments would do well to prepare before — with the same assiduousness that they have demonstrated in seeking to manage the narrative after.

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