1954 Kumbh Mela stampede
Encyclopedia
1954 Kumbh Mela stampede was a stampede
that occurred in 1954 at Kumbha Mela on 3 February 1954 in Allahabad
in Uttar Pradesh
state in India
. It was main bathing day of Mauni Amavasya
(New Moon
), when the incident took place, and during the festival 4-5 million pilgrims had taken part that year, which was also the first Kumbh Mela after the Independence.
The figures for the tragedy varied according to different sources. While The Guardian
reported more than 800 people dead and over 100 injured, the TIME
reported "no fewer than 350 people were trampled to death and drowned, 200 were counted missing, and over 2,000 were injured". According to the book Law and Order in India over 500 were dead.
The Kumbh Mela
has traditionally been used by politicians to connect with mass gather of Indian populace prior to the India's Independence, and as this was the first Kumbh Mela after the Independence, many leading politicians had visited the city during the event, which goes for over 40 days. What compounded the failure of crowd control
measures, over 5 million pilgrims visit Allahabad during the festival, was not just the presence of large number of politicians, but also the fact that the Ganges River has changed course and moved in closer to the Bund
(embankment
) and the city, reducing the available space of the temporary Kumbh township and movement of the people. Ultimately what triggered the tragedy was that surge of crowd broke the barriers to witness a procession of sadhu
s and holy men of various akhara
s, which ended up in a stampede.
After the event, Prime Minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru suggested that politicians and VIPs may not visit the Mela, who were all but exonerate along with the government after the inquiry of any wrong doing. The judicial inquiry commission, set up after what was one of worst stampedes in India, was headed by Justice Kamala Kant Verma, and its recommendation became the basis of better management for future Kumbh in the coming decades, where this tragedy stood as grim reminder to Mela planners and district administration. The subsequent Kumbh Mela organization remained event free after that, and grew considerable in size, so much so that around 60 million people took part in 2001 Kumbh Mela, making it the largest gathering anywhere in the world.
Stampede
A stampede is an act of mass impulse among herd animals or a crowd of people in which the herd collectively begins running with no clear direction or purpose....
that occurred in 1954 at Kumbha Mela on 3 February 1954 in Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
state in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It was main bathing day of Mauni Amavasya
Amavasya
Amavasya is the Indian name for a New moon. The word Amavasya is common to many Indian languages especially Sanskrit, Hindi, Assamese, Kannada, Bengali, Konkani, Marathi, Oriya, Telugu, and Gujarati...
(New Moon
New moon
In astronomical terminology, the new moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth...
), when the incident took place, and during the festival 4-5 million pilgrims had taken part that year, which was also the first Kumbh Mela after the Independence.
The figures for the tragedy varied according to different sources. While The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
reported more than 800 people dead and over 100 injured, the TIME
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
reported "no fewer than 350 people were trampled to death and drowned, 200 were counted missing, and over 2,000 were injured". According to the book Law and Order in India over 500 were dead.
Reasons and aftermath
Kumbh Mela
Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage in which Hindus gather at the Ganges river.The normal Kumbh Mela is celebrated every 3 years, the Ardh Kumbh Mela is celebrated every six years at Haridwar and Prayag, the Purna Kumbh takes place every twelve years, at four places Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain,...
has traditionally been used by politicians to connect with mass gather of Indian populace prior to the India's Independence, and as this was the first Kumbh Mela after the Independence, many leading politicians had visited the city during the event, which goes for over 40 days. What compounded the failure of crowd control
Crowd control
Crowd control is the controlling of a crowd, to prevent the outbreak of disorder and prevention of possible riot. Examples are at soccer matches, when a sale of goods has attracted an excess of customers, refugee control, or mass decontamination and mass quarantine situations . It calls for gentler...
measures, over 5 million pilgrims visit Allahabad during the festival, was not just the presence of large number of politicians, but also the fact that the Ganges River has changed course and moved in closer to the Bund
Bunding
Bunding, also called a bund wall, is the area within a structure designed to prevent inundation or breaches of various types.-Liquid containment:...
(embankment
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
) and the city, reducing the available space of the temporary Kumbh township and movement of the people. Ultimately what triggered the tragedy was that surge of crowd broke the barriers to witness a procession of sadhu
Sadhu
In Hinduism, sādhu denotes an ascetic, wandering monk. Although the vast majority of sādhus are yogīs, not all yogīs are sādhus. The sādhu is solely dedicated to achieving mokṣa , the fourth and final aśrama , through meditation and contemplation of brahman...
s and holy men of various akhara
Akhara
In Hinduism, Akhara is an organization of the different sects of Sadhus Vairaghis yogis or Hindu Renunciates....
s, which ended up in a stampede.
After the event, Prime Minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru suggested that politicians and VIPs may not visit the Mela, who were all but exonerate along with the government after the inquiry of any wrong doing. The judicial inquiry commission, set up after what was one of worst stampedes in India, was headed by Justice Kamala Kant Verma, and its recommendation became the basis of better management for future Kumbh in the coming decades, where this tragedy stood as grim reminder to Mela planners and district administration. The subsequent Kumbh Mela organization remained event free after that, and grew considerable in size, so much so that around 60 million people took part in 2001 Kumbh Mela, making it the largest gathering anywhere in the world.