Are they all due to officials’ negligence, public callousness, political empathy, or a surge in population?

Why did the Bangalore RCB stampede in the Chinnaswamy stadium on June 5, 2025, result in at least 11 deaths and 33 injuries? A stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on the night of February 15, 2025, resulted in at least 18 fatalities and 15 injuries. 30 people died and 60 were injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj on January 29, 2025.  During the Pushpa 2, one woman died when she came to see Allu Arjun on December 4, 2024. The reason for the recent Mumbai train deaths is attributed to overcrowding, which made passengers clinging to the door fall onto the railway line and be run over by a train from the opposite direction. Why did the Kumbh Mela deaths happen?  At least 82 people were killed in four incidents of stampede at Maha Kumbh in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on January 29, against the State government’s official claim of 37 deaths, a report by BBC News Hindi claimed.

After any mishap, many doubts arise in our minds!  We need to apply our minds to understand and avert future occurrences of similar incidents.  We should develop a similarity to all these incidents. One common reason is the bungling, callousness, and lack of far-sightedness of the people at the helm of affairs. Crowd management is a tricky proposition. In a wedding ceremony, if 300 people are expected, but 1000 turn up, arranging food is a challenge. If we arrange food for 300 while only 100 turn up, it is food waste. It is a catch-22 situation. Overcrowding is not an isolated problem for any city. Such stampede incidents are increasing nowadays. Airports look crowded bus stations, and incidents of verbal fights between staff and passengers are reported. Airlines started advising passengers to report 4 hours in advance to avoid congestion. As the workload increases multifold, the administrative staff find it stressful to work. So, who is to blame, the Government, people, bureaucrats, workers, or infrastructure? This blame game will serve no purpose. India should plan a holistic approach to all crowd-related issues. We have seen two such occasions in general. Firstly, such unpredictable stampedes occur during religious or sports gatherings due to a sudden influx. The second one is routine and happens in bus stands and railway stations, where people violate the rules to reach their destination on time. While the permission in the first instance, which is unpredictable, should be on a selective basis, the second one must be managed professionally by deploying a better workforce and risk management tools, as it is somewhat predictable. The main reason behind the recent stampedes, due to overcrowding, is India’s unabated population growth. India’s major problem is our rapid population growth. We have surpassed China’s population figure. Our population is 143.81 crores (as of 2023). Now this must be still more. In the last century, we had fewer instances, while challenges are more prevalent at present. On July 11, every year, the whole world pledges to control population growth, but unfortunately, life goes on as usual. The ensuing period will be more challenging!