A list of major stampedes in India
The RCB parade in celebration of the team's maiden IPL win in 18 years turned into tragedy as at least 11 fans died and several were injured in a stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.
Over 50 people have been killed in stampedes this year at temples, railway station and at the Maha Kumbh among others.
On February 15, a stampede broke out at New Delhi Railway Station's platform number 14 and 15. Eighteen people were killed and 15 injured, mostly pilgrims visiting Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj.
During the Maha Kumbh, a stampede on January 29 at the Sangam area as millions as pilgrims were jostling for space to take a holy dip on the auspicious occasion of Mauni Amavasya resulted in the death of 30 people and injuries to 60.
* May 3, 2025: Six persons died and around 100 people injured in a stampede in the early hours during an annual festival of Sri Lairai Devi temple at Shirgao village in Goa.
* January 8, 2025: At least six devotees were killed and dozens injured in a stampede as hundreds of them jostled for tickets for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala Hills.
* December 4, 2024: A 35-year-old woman died and a boy was injured at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad in a stampede where Allu Arjun's blockbuster 'Pushpa 2' was screened.
* July 2, 2024: At least 121 people, including women and children, were killed after a stampede broke out at a 'satsang' (prayer meeting) organised by self-styled godman, Bhole Baba aka Narayan Saakar Hari, in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras.
* March 31, 2023: At least 36 people died when the slab constructed on top of an ancient 'bawdi' or well collapsed during a 'havan' ceremony held on the occasion of Ram Navami at a temple in Indore city.
* January 1, 2022: At least 12 people died and over a dozen were injured in a stampede at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir triggered by a heavy rush of devotees.
* September 29, 2017: Twenty-three people lost their lives and 36 were injured in a stampede on the narrow bridge connecting the Elphinstone Road station of the Western Railway with Parel station of the Central Railway in Mumbai.
* July 14, 2015: Twenty-seven pilgrims died and 20 others were injured in a stampede at a major bathing spot on the banks of the Godavari river where a huge crowd of devotees had gathered on the opening day of 'Pushkaram' festival in Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh
* October 3, 2014: Thirty-two people were killed and 26 others injured in a stampede at Gandhi Maidan in Patna, shortly after the Dussehra celebrations ended.
* October 13, 2013: 115 people were killed and over 100 injured in a stampede during the Navratri festivities near Ratangarh temple in Madhya Pradesh's Datia district. The stampede was triggered by rumours that a river bridge the devotees were crossing was about to collapse.
* November 19, 2012: Around 20 people were killed and many others injured as a makeshift bridge caved in, triggering a stampede during the Chhath Puja at Adalat Ghat on the bank of river Ganga in Patna.
* November 8, 2011: At least 20 people were killed in a stampede in Haridwar at Har-ki-Pauri ghat on the banks of Ganga river.
* January 14, 2011: At least 104 Sabarimala devotees were killed and over 40 were injured in a stampede when a jeep crashed into homebound pilgrims at Pulmedu in Kerala's Idukki district.
* March 4, 2010: About 63 people were killed in a stampede at Ram Janki Temple of Kripalu Maharaj in Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh district as people gathered to collect free clothes and food from the self-styled godman.
* September 30, 2008: Nearly 250 devotees were killed and over 60 injured in a stampede triggered by rumours of a bomb going off at Chamunda Devi temple in Rajasthan's Jodhpur city.
* August 3, 2008: 162 dead, 47 injured in a stampede triggered by rumours of rockslides at Naina Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur district.
* January 25, 2005: Over 340 devotees were trampled to death and hundreds injured during an annual pilgrimage at Mandhardevi temple in Maharashtra's Satara district. The accident occurred when some people fell down on the steps made slippery by the devotees breaking coconuts.
* August 27, 2003: 39 people were killed and around 140 injured in a stampede during the holy bath at the Kumbh Mela in Maharashtra's Nashik district.
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The Hindu
37 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Bengaluru stampede: Justice D'Cunha Commission told to focus on events at M. Chinnaswamy stadium
The seven-point Terms of Reference (ToR) for the one-man judicial inquiry commission of former High Court judge Michael D'Cunha to probe the stampede that killed 11 persons limits the scope of the inquiry to happenings at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, and not the entire celebrations in Bengaluru on June 4. The police have argued that the open-air event on the grand steps of the Vidhana Soudha, organised by the government of Karnataka and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), followed by the unilateral announcement by the RCB of a victory parade despite denial of permission by the police, brought lakhs of people to the streets, eventually causing overcrowding and stampede at the stadium. The ToR asks the Justice D'Cunha Commission to probe whether required permissions and clearances were obtained, and norms followed, while organising the event at M. Chinnaswamy stadium, based on the sequence of events what and who all were culpable for the stampede that killed 11 persons at the stadium, and precautionary measures taken to prevent such a mishap at the stadium, and lapses, if any, and whoever is responsible for the same. The commission has also been told to recommend measures to be taken to prevent such mishaps in the future. The government order constituting the inquiry commission under The Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, asks the commission to submit its report within one month, and also authorises Justice D'Cunha to rope in a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer for technical and legal help, if needed.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
A Commissioner As A Scapegoat For Colossal, Collective Failure?
The stampede at the Chinnaswamy Stadium is among the most tragic events I have witnessed in my life as a reporter. I was there at 2 pm, dancing and singing with the crowds in an RCB jersey. I am not an IPL fan, did not even watch the final, yet at the stadium, it felt like an India World Cup win. Everyone was carried away - young to old, all congregated. As the clock ticked along, the crowds thronged and thronged. By 4 pm, I began moving out towards Cubbon Park. It was clear that chaos would unravel, but no one expected a tragedy of this scale. A few policemen were desperately trying - and failing. The traffic was a mess; there was no way you could even walk. The stadium gates wouldn't hold fort. People started climbing over the gates from the adjoining walls. The security guard at Gate 21 told me a day later that he ran for his life. "If I stayed, I'd have died as well," he said to me casually. No one anticipated what would unravel - that 11 young, tender lives would be snuffed out and over 40 would be injured. I was angry with myself for drumming up the fervour. Everyone has to reflect: the government, the police, RCB, KSCA, the journalists who were building the frenzy, and the cricketers, too. Multiple questions were raised, and the final answer is - it wasn't worth it. But this is not India's first stampede. I'm not sure this will be the last. Now, fixing the blame and taking legal action is due process. Cases have been filed. Organisers and police officers have faced legal action. But the political leadership remains immune, with just emotional statements of "shock." The question now is whether the suspension of an IPS officer of ADGP rank - the Commissioner of Police - along with two other IPS officers and two other policemen, is a fair call. Especially since a formal inquiry report is awaited. Prima facie, everyone seems to have done something wrong, but the government is yet to state on the record exactly who asked for the celebratory events in such a tearing hurry, what the police said, and who was part of the decision. It was a collective failure. Against this backdrop, suspending the top cop is a huge hit on the police force. The morale will take a huge hit. One serving young officer asked me, "If the commissioner can't protect himself, why would we follow his orders? It's very demotivating." Transfers of senior officers and suspensions of those lower down the hierarchy in the force are a professional hazard that officers accept as par for the course. But a suspension of this scale, despite the nature of the tragedy, has shaken them up. If the commissioner is suspended, then shouldn't the Home Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and Chief Minister also face action? Serving officers are angry. Former officers have firmly expressed a demand for revocation of the suspension. Even those with the BJP - like former Commissioner Bhaskar Rao - have categorically demanded the suspension be revoked and have told their party to demand the same. The suspension order of an IPS officer has to be ratified by the Centre in 30 days. There is pressure from IPS officers on the Centre not to ratify the suspension of the commissioner and the other IPS officers. The state government may have gone too far with the suspensions, and it also reflects that they have admitted to the guilt of a failure. Their argument is that the event at the stadium was a private event, and the commissioner did not brief the CM and ministers clearly about the plan. However, the full truth has to be placed on record, and versions need to be investigated. If there is categorical proof of guilt, then action must be taken - no matter how senior the officer is. However, until such categorical proof is declared in public, suspending such a senior officer has rattled the force, and this may not be taken lightly. It will be important to see whether the Union Home Ministry will ratify the order. Finally, as a young IPS officer said, "Okay, suspend the commissioner, but let the CM, DyCM, or HM also suspend themselves or go on a leave of absence, taking moral responsibility till the magisterial report comes." Ultimately, it's a colossal, collective failure. Everyone needs to reflect and share the guilt. Penal action is essential - but against all those responsible, especially the political leadership, which our celebrated cricketers basked in the glory with on stage for a feat they had nothing to do with.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Karnataka HC poses 9 questions to govt on Bengaluru stampede: ‘Who took decision to hold RCB celebration?'
The Karnataka High Court has posed a set of nine questions to the Congress government in the state over the stampede tragedy at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru that resulted in 11 deaths during a felicitation for the IPL-winning Royal Challengers Bengaluru team on Wednesday. Among the key questions that the high court posed on Thursday and sought answers for by June 10 are: Who decided to hold the victory celebration? In what manner and when? Was any permission sought to organise the event? And whether any SOP (standard operating procedure) has been formulated to manage a crowd of 50,000 and above in any sports event and celebrations of this nature? The questions were posed by a division bench headed by acting Chief Justice V Kameswar Rao and Justice C M Joshi in the course of a suo motu writ petition taken up by the court regarding the cricket stadium tragedy in Bengaluru. The other questions the high court posed were: * What steps were taken to regulate the traffic? * What steps were taken to regulate the public/crowd? * What medical and other facilities were arranged at the venue? * Any assessment was made in advance on the number of people, who may be present at the time of celebrations? * Whether persons injured were given immediate medical attention by the medical experts at the venue? If not why? * How much time was taken to take the injured to the hospitals? The high court's suo motu petition and questions posed by it reportedly triggered the suspensions of five police officers, including the Bengaluru police commissioner, on June 6 following consultations by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with his legal advisor A S Ponnana and the state Advocate General K M Shashikiran Shetty, as per sources. The flow of events leading to the tragedy as analysed from communications between the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and the government, the social media timelines of RCB handles and the Bengaluru traffic police, as well as statements made in police FIRs suggest that the cricket association sought permission on June 3 for an event for felicitation of the RCB cricket by the CM and deputy CM at the government headquarters, Vidhana Soudha, on June 4 in the event of RCB winning the IPL finals against Punjab Super Kings. KSCA CEO Shubhendu Ghosh wrote to the government's Department of Personnel and Administration (DPAR) – the custodians of the Vidhana Soudha – on June 3 on behalf of event management firm DNA Network for permission for a felicitation of RCB players at the Vidhana Soudha. The DPAR responded on the morning of June 4 granting permission for the event by laying down as many as 16 conditions to protect the portals of the Vidhana Soudha, where the event would be held on the evening of June 4, with Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar attending. Siddaramaiah's political secretary, K Govindaraju, an MLC and ambitious sports administrator who was sacked on Saturday, is alleged to have influenced the decision-making at the highest levels in the government to hold the Vidhana Soudha event. Even as the 4 pm Vidhana Soudha event was cleared by the government, the Bengaluru police—the sanctioning authority—had not granted permission for a victory parade from the Vidhana Soudha to the Chinnaswamy Stadium for RCB fans due to crowd control fears. Although no official permission was granted by the police, the RCB management went on to unilaterally announce a victory parade at 7.01 am on the morning of June 4, triggering a fan frenzy. The RCB/KSCA also sent out a media advisory around 10.30 am on June 4 saying there would be a felicitation by Siddaramaiah at the Vidhana Soudha at 4 pm, a victory parade around 5 pm, and a felicitation at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium at 6 pm. The Bengaluru traffic police timeline on X shows that two traffic advisories were put out around 2.45 pm and 3.30 pm about the felicitation at the Chinnaswamy stadium at 5 pm, with no mention of a victory parade. The Karnataka government, while suspending five police officers, stated that though the RCB CEO informed the Bengaluru police commissioner on June 3 about holding the victory parade and celebrations on June 4, the police failed to give a written reply to the organisers 'rejecting the permission'. A suo motu FIR filed in the Cubbon Park police station by the now-suspended police inspector A K Girish over the stadium deaths says Ghosh approached the police on June 3 for an event at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on behalf of RCB. The Bengaluru police, who registered the FIR on June 5 for culpable homicide, causing voluntary hurt and unlawful assembly against the RCB, the KSCA, and DNA Network, arrested an RCB marketing head and a senior DNA official on Friday. Meanwhile, on Friday, the Karnataka High Court granted conditional interim protection from arrest to three KSCA officials, including president Raghuram Bhat, a former cricketer, in the stadium deaths case. The KSCA officials claimed in their high court petition that DNA officials held a meeting with Bengaluru police on June 3 on holding the celebration event if RCB won. The petition also says that KSCA and DNA officials met Siddaramaiah and the state chief secretary for government support for the event to be held at the Vidhana Soudha. 'Celebrating the victory was in fact the call of the government as it felicitated the players at the Vidhana Soudha in the presence of the chief minister, deputy CM, and several cabinet ministers, with all the secretariat and police higher-ups being present,' states the KSCA petition. The Karnataka government on Saturday issued an order for a judicial inquiry to be conducted into the stadium tragedy by Justice John Michael Cunha, a retired high court judge. The government has also directed a magisterial inquiry by the deputy commissioner for the Bengaluru region in his capacity as an executive magistrate.
