Faith in Shiva can move even Mount Kailash and the ocean can part for Moses, but faith cannot guide governments.
Faith has to be tempered while running the affairs of the state. Much before the onset of Maha Kumbh preparations, it was incumbent upon the Uttar Pradesh state administration to make an announcement for the devotees across the country, that the facilities were extremely limited for handling huge crowds. Hence, children and old people, the infirm and ill, should not come to the Sangam. Mahamandleshwars should have been advised to make an open appeal to the devotees to bathe at their nearest ghats and that it will earn them the same punya as bathing at the Sangam.
The Maha Kumbh, coming after 144 years, is very auspicious and was certain to attract huge crowds. The state ought to have been prescient of the risk and responsibility in managing and ensuring the safety and security of streams of devotees coming to Prayagraj. There was no question of allowing ministers and so-called VIPs, accompanied by posse of policemen and hangers on for their well-advertised and photographed baths. Rather, they should have set an example by publicising their rituals at the nearest ghat of their home districts.
It seems as if the political executive fell prey to the lure of converting crores and crores of devotees into voters. The arrangements were flashed all over as unique and best in the world. From the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled cameras to underwater drones, Maha Kumbh became the cynosure for all eyes lending an ethereal, sublime aura to the surroundings. Spurred on by the call of Ganga Mata and the publicity blitz, crores of devotees from all parts of the country set foot for the holy yatra – all to converge at the Sangam.
The evening before the Mauni Amavasya, anticipating a massive crowd to arrive for the snan, police officers announced at the ghats for people to go back after their bath. But quite a few remained and some slept off. Meanwhile the barricades for the devotees leading to the nose of the Sangam were straining to capacity hours before the snan. Roads to Prayagraj were jammed from all sides. An American blogger, with 1 million followers, wrote on social media that he was caught in a hold up for 19 hours. Other entries to the city faced similar fate.
Also read: Let Us Not Overdo this ‘Triumph of Faith’
Suddenly a rumour spread at the nose of Sangam and some desperate for an early dip broke through the barricades. The sudden onrush of devotees trampling on the sleeping devotees led to all hell breaking loose. It was too late to stem the tragedy at that point. Even the tragic loss of lives did not stop crores from taking a bath on the same day later. An influencer claimed a second stampede at Jhusi hours later.
Why is it that since 1954, when the first tragedy at Kumbh took place, it keeps appearing at regular intervals with the same sequence of events leading to loss of lives? Various commission reports, more or less, come to the same findings and yet hardly any lessons are learnt. In this particular case, the judicial commission should look into the following:
Magh Mela is held at Prayagraj every year, with every 6th year an Ardh Kumbh followed by a Maha Kumbh on the 12th year. The traffic plan and contingencies are revised and updated every year. To have such a mishap then implies a serious failure of coordination and execution. Why were some pontoon bridges shut? Why were roads blocked? Circulating traffic rather than blocking was called for.
Why were invitations sent to such a large number of people? This seemed something new this year. Calling few observers is understandable but invitations to so many persons betray a religious and/or political agenda. Even corporate honchos were invited who could have easily looked after themselves.
Since the earlier Kumbhs, it was a tradition never to have VIPs on auspicious dates, nor to invite them on other days. The visit of the Union home minister, two days before Amavasya, of the defence minister before that and the Uttar Pradesh chief minister with his whole team later, should also have been avoided.
A thumb rule of such massive gatherings is to maintain scrupulously, a healthy egress-ingress ratio. This should have been considered by the Control Centre with the AI-enabled cameras and CCTVs at its command. The action needed to be taken at the borders and not where the sea of humanity is impossible to control.
Lastly, a closer look is required into the choice of officers for managing the mela. Is this a place to use your social media skills for personal publicity? Should a DIG giving commands on a loud hailer be captured on camera and displayed on social media? Posting in Kumbh leads to better assignments and these social media projections were perhaps directed towards this goal.
Perhaps time has come to accept that our religious practices have to be reoriented in keeping with the times. Can Kanwar Yatras go smoothly on city roads where already it is impossible for pedestrians to walk? No technology, manpower or skill can manage crowds of unmanageable proportions. Religious tourism, temple visits, and Kumbhs should be quiet, serene, soul cleansing and without rush or noise. But every religious place has faced a stampede or is waiting to happen because of impossible numbers. It is time to pause and think. The aim is to purify body, soul and home. As they say in Bihar, “Mann changa to kathauti me Ganga”.
Yashovardhan Azad is a former Central Information Commissioner and a retired IPS officer who has served as Secretary, Security and special director, Intelligence Bureau.