1994 Gowari stampede
Encyclopedia
The 1994 Gowari stampede occurred at Nagpur
, India on 23 November 1994 in which 114 people from the Gowari community
were killed and 500 more injured. Nagpur Police
were trying to disperse almost 50000 Gowari
protesters using baton charge
but it created panic and triggered stampede amongst protesters. Gowari
s are an ethnic tribe of central India and are predominantly present in Nagpur. The main language of the tribe is Marathi
. Majority of casualties were women and children who were crushed to death under the crowd’s feet scrambling to escape police line. Some were victims of barbed wire piercing as they were climbing over high fences to escape. Maharashtra
state government appointed one man Justice S S Dani commission, to investigate the event, but it held nobody responsible and referred to the tragedy as “unfortunate” one. Commission justified the police action of baton-charge to control such a huge crowd. The commission also cleared state chief minister Sharad Pawar
and rest of government for any responsibility towards this incident. Maharashtra’s Tribal Development Minister Madhukar Pichad later resigned accepting moral responsibility for the tragedy.
Every year, the winter session of Maharashtra state assembly
, Vidhan Sabha
is held as Nagpur’s Vidhan Bhavan. For quite some time, Gowari
community had been demanding Scheduled tribe status to avail the benefits of reservations in government jobs and education
. On 23 November 1994 Gowari protesters, led by Gowari Sanghatana, were trying to reach Vidhan Bhavan and present their demand to state government. Nagpur police had earlier banned all protest march during the winter session of assembly. Nagpur Police stopped the march of 50,000 protesters at Nagpur’s Vasantrao Naik College of Arts and Social Sciences (Morris college). However, no government official turned up to talk with protesters and resentment grew. Disturbance started amongst the crowd as they tried to break the police barricades. Police gave out repeated warnings to maintain law and order but the situation was getting out of control. Chief Minister
Sharad Pawar
had already flown back to Mumbai
after concluding the day’s session. At 5:30 pm, a car having red light at the top arrived and protester at front rushed towards it. They assumed some minister had arrived to take up their petition. However, police feared troubled and started wielding batons to push back the protesters. This caused initial retreat but the word of police attack spread causing a panic situation and protesters started running away
. Women along with children which were part of protest march got caught in midst of this chaos. They were trampled and left breathless under feet of running protesters. In all 114 people lost their lives in the tragedy. Autopsy
conducted on the victims concluded traumatic asphyxia caused the deaths. They were the result of chest compression and obstruction of respiratory system
.
coalition took immediate political mileage from this tragedy and it became one of the factors for Indian National Congress
losing the state elections of 1995. After many extensions Dani Commission finally tabled its report in March 1998 and found nobody responsible. It noted that Pawar was not aware of the protest going outside of Vidhan Bhawan and what were their demands. Pawar, who was now leader of opposition in Lok Sabha
, had initially stated that he feared state government was trying to fix him by altering the commission’s report. The commission upheld the police action of baton charge on the surging crowd in order to maintain law and order situation while the assembly session was going on. It also noted that almost all deaths were caused due to breathless people getting caused under feet of running people and not due to injuries caused by baton charge by police. However, commission suggested that water sprayers
and rubber bullet
s be first used and baton charge should be last resort only after giving two warnings. Commission based its report from statements given by local press and photographers along with independent witnesses on the site. The BJP-SS led government quickly rejected the report.
Chief Minister
Manohar Joshi
quoted
ruling that reservation quota cannot exceed 50 percent has created legal problems for SBC quota to materialize. Political efforts to assimilate 2 percent SBC under already existing schedule tribe or other backward caste (OBC) quota have found tough opposition from their respective legislators lobby. After the losing Maharashtra state assembly elections, 2004
BJP also seems to have lost the interest in Gowari incident. The Gowari issue surfaces periodically during assembly sessions.
Monument has been in central Nagpur to commemorate those who died in this tragedy. Also the flyover in Sitabuldi has been name Aadivasi Gowari Shahid flyover.
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
, India on 23 November 1994 in which 114 people from the Gowari community
Gowari
Gowari or Govari is a Hindu caste/ ethnic tribal group predominantly living in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh states of India.-Introduction:...
were killed and 500 more injured. Nagpur Police
Nagpur Police
Nagpur police is the law enforcement and investigation division of the Indian Police Service with jurisdiction over Nagpur district and Nagpur city. Nagpur police has four zones and operates from 23 police stations spread across the city. It also has the responsibility of traffic policing the city...
were trying to disperse almost 50000 Gowari
Gowari
Gowari or Govari is a Hindu caste/ ethnic tribal group predominantly living in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh states of India.-Introduction:...
protesters using baton charge
Baton charge
A baton charge is a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people, usually used by police or military during public order situations. In certain countries, police are not authorised to use the tactic unless no other means can be practiced....
but it created panic and triggered stampede amongst protesters. Gowari
Gowari
Gowari or Govari is a Hindu caste/ ethnic tribal group predominantly living in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh states of India.-Introduction:...
s are an ethnic tribe of central India and are predominantly present in Nagpur. The main language of the tribe is Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
. Majority of casualties were women and children who were crushed to death under the crowd’s feet scrambling to escape police line. Some were victims of barbed wire piercing as they were climbing over high fences to escape. Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
state government appointed one man Justice S S Dani commission, to investigate the event, but it held nobody responsible and referred to the tragedy as “unfortunate” one. Commission justified the police action of baton-charge to control such a huge crowd. The commission also cleared state chief minister Sharad Pawar
Sharad Pawar
Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar , popularly known as SAHEB , is the president of the Nationalist Congress Party which he founded in 1999, after separating from the Indian National Congress...
and rest of government for any responsibility towards this incident. Maharashtra’s Tribal Development Minister Madhukar Pichad later resigned accepting moral responsibility for the tragedy.
Stampede
Winter Session of Maharashtra State Assembly
The Winter Session of the Maharashtra Legislature, which includes both of its houses, the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha and the Maharashtra Vidhan Parishad, is held in Nagpur in November–December every year. Nagpur is the auxiliary capital of the state....
, Vidhan Sabha
Vidhan Sabha
The Vidhan Sabha or the Legislative Assembly is the lower house or the sole house of the provincial legislature in the different states of India. The same name is also used for the lower house of the legislatures for two of the union territories, Delhi and Pondicherry...
is held as Nagpur’s Vidhan Bhavan. For quite some time, Gowari
Gowari
Gowari or Govari is a Hindu caste/ ethnic tribal group predominantly living in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh states of India.-Introduction:...
community had been demanding Scheduled tribe status to avail the benefits of reservations in government jobs and education
Reservation in India
Reservation in India is a form of affirmative action designed to improve the well being of socially backward and underrepresented communities of citizens in India. There are laws in place, wherein a certain percentage of total available slots in Jobs and Education are set aside for people from...
. On 23 November 1994 Gowari protesters, led by Gowari Sanghatana, were trying to reach Vidhan Bhavan and present their demand to state government. Nagpur police had earlier banned all protest march during the winter session of assembly. Nagpur Police stopped the march of 50,000 protesters at Nagpur’s Vasantrao Naik College of Arts and Social Sciences (Morris college). However, no government official turned up to talk with protesters and resentment grew. Disturbance started amongst the crowd as they tried to break the police barricades. Police gave out repeated warnings to maintain law and order but the situation was getting out of control. Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
Sharad Pawar
Sharad Pawar
Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar , popularly known as SAHEB , is the president of the Nationalist Congress Party which he founded in 1999, after separating from the Indian National Congress...
had already flown back to Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
after concluding the day’s session. At 5:30 pm, a car having red light at the top arrived and protester at front rushed towards it. They assumed some minister had arrived to take up their petition. However, police feared troubled and started wielding batons to push back the protesters. This caused initial retreat but the word of police attack spread causing a panic situation and protesters started running away
. Women along with children which were part of protest march got caught in midst of this chaos. They were trampled and left breathless under feet of running protesters. In all 114 people lost their lives in the tragedy. Autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
conducted on the victims concluded traumatic asphyxia caused the deaths. They were the result of chest compression and obstruction of respiratory system
Respiratory system
The respiratory system is the anatomical system of an organism that introduces respiratory gases to the interior and performs gas exchange. In humans and other mammals, the anatomical features of the respiratory system include airways, lungs, and the respiratory muscles...
.
Enquiry
Soon after the tragedy, the Maharashtra government appointed a one man commission - Justice S S Dani - to investigate the causes of the tragedy. Meanwhile, opposition parties Bhartiya Janata Party-Shiv SenaShiv Sena
Shiv Sena , is a political party in India founded on 19 June 1966 by Balasaheb Thackeray. It is currently headed by Thackeray's son, Uddhav Thackeray...
coalition took immediate political mileage from this tragedy and it became one of the factors for Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
losing the state elections of 1995. After many extensions Dani Commission finally tabled its report in March 1998 and found nobody responsible. It noted that Pawar was not aware of the protest going outside of Vidhan Bhawan and what were their demands. Pawar, who was now leader of opposition in Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
, had initially stated that he feared state government was trying to fix him by altering the commission’s report. The commission upheld the police action of baton charge on the surging crowd in order to maintain law and order situation while the assembly session was going on. It also noted that almost all deaths were caused due to breathless people getting caused under feet of running people and not due to injuries caused by baton charge by police. However, commission suggested that water sprayers
Water cannon
A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-pressure stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of metres / hundreds of feet. They are used in firefighting and riot control. Most water cannon fall under the category of a fire...
and rubber bullet
Rubber bullet
Rubber bullets are rubber or rubber-coated projectiles that can be fired from either standard firearms or dedicated riot guns. They are intended to be a non-lethal alternative to metal projectiles...
s be first used and baton charge should be last resort only after giving two warnings. Commission based its report from statements given by local press and photographers along with independent witnesses on the site. The BJP-SS led government quickly rejected the report.
Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
Manohar Joshi
Manohar Joshi
Manohar Gajanan Joshi, is an Indian politician from the state of Maharashtra. He is one of the prominent leaders of the Shiv Sena political party. He was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1995–1999.-Background and family:...
quoted
"Any one of them going and talking to the protesters could have averted the tragedy".
Current situation
After coming to power Bhartiya Janata Party – Shiv Sena led government had announced Special Backward Caste (SBC) category for 47 such communities with 2 percent reservations in education and government jobs. However, Supreme Court of IndiaSupreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...
ruling that reservation quota cannot exceed 50 percent has created legal problems for SBC quota to materialize. Political efforts to assimilate 2 percent SBC under already existing schedule tribe or other backward caste (OBC) quota have found tough opposition from their respective legislators lobby. After the losing Maharashtra state assembly elections, 2004
Maharashtra state assembly elections, 2004
Assembly elections was held in Maharashtra, India on October 13, 2004. The major alliances were the Democratic Front and the Bharatiya Janata Party - Shiv Sena alliance. Other political parties contested were the Bahujan Samajwadi Party, the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, and the LJP...
BJP also seems to have lost the interest in Gowari incident. The Gowari issue surfaces periodically during assembly sessions.
Monument has been in central Nagpur to commemorate those who died in this tragedy. Also the flyover in Sitabuldi has been name Aadivasi Gowari Shahid flyover.