CLINGING TO FAITH, CRUSHED BY SUPERSTITION: HATHRAS STAMPEDE NOT INDIA'S FIRST

It only took a small dust storm. Before they could realise what was happening, confused women and children, trying to exit an overcrowded 'satsang' ceremony in Hathras, were crushed to death in one of the most disastrous stampedes in Indian history. The death toll in the tragedy in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh is at least 121.

Coming from a country that has religion, idols, and ‘godmen' among its priorities, stampedes don’t surprise me anymore. Too many have happened in the past, and more will probably happen in the future though one wishes otherwise. But the most important question is never answered, because no one asks: When will we ever get over the blind beliefs that make us ignore safety hazards?

Also read | India: Stampede at religious event in UP’s Hathras kills 121, mostly women; PM assures help

Personally while writing this piece, I have a feeling of Déjà vu. A similar incident happened last year in my hometown, Indore, in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. 

At least 36 people died when a slab constructed on top of an ancient ‘bawdi’, or well, collapsed during a ‘havan’ programme held on the occasion of Ram Navami at a temple. People were quick to protest outside the temple, blaming the government for the incident. But what led to the incident? 

Not only was the well old but the construction was illegal, and done without the notice of the Indore Municipal Corporation. If I think of it, I will look at it as: when a restaurant is considered to be good, the owner tries to enlarge the accommodation. So did the temple trust. Just so that it could accommodate more devotees and gain more offerings. 

Also watch | Hathras Stampede: Death toll reaches 121, hunt on for 'godman'

Blame the Indore municipal corporation as much as you want, but do you think the government or their “decisions” have ever stopped a religious or spiritual organisation  that has “supporters” from doing something? Had the IMC stopped the construction, it would have been slammed as atheists, and creating a ruckus before still constructing the illegal slab would have been the way out. 

According to an April 2024 update of the case, the water department and a few people from IMC have been held responsible, but “any action is yet to be taken”. The temple trust is yet to get a mention, let alone punishment. Even if they weren’t directly responsible for the incident that took place, they knew the risks and yet they carried the rituals with looming danger. 

The construction was completely demolished after the incident and Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex-gratia for the kin of the dead and injured. But was that enough? “A legal action will be taken” are just a few words that the people who suffer hear as an assurance, but are those enough? No money will bring back their loved ones, no bulldozing will act as a relief. “Strict actions will be taken”, they say. And words they are.

About Indore, I talk  with so much compassion, but that doesn't mean other incidents were not something that brings me to chills. 

I remember how my family was shaken in 2005 when news broke out that 340 devotees were killed during a pilgrimage at Mandhardevi temple in Maharashtra’s Satara after some people fell down on the slippery steps due to water from coconuts broken for rituals. Three years later, around 250 devotees were trampled to death in a stampede triggered by bomb blast rumours at Chamunda Devi temple in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur and there was another major uproar.

Recently, such incidents have started getting closer to superstitious beliefs. Reports from Hathras suggest the devotees were chasing self-styled godman Narayan Sakar Hari, also known as ‘Bhole Baba’, for his pairon ki dhool or the sacred soil that touched his feet.

Bhole Baba’s followers came from diverse backgrounds, many of them from the marginalised SC/ST, OBC and Muslim communities. These are communities that often feel left out by society, the police or the law. Clinging on to faith, they get crushed by superstitions. Superstition that sacred soil will change their life. Or at least God will listen to them through this man it sent. 

Rural areas are more vulnerable to these godmen who sell them hope and spirituality as relief from their day-to-day troubles. Their villages are also prone to infrastructural issues, narrow or unclear exit gates, overcrowding and a lack of awareness about stampede prevention, which create a dangerous combination for devotees.

‘Bhole Baba’ donned many hats and tried various professions — ex-cop, intel officer and farmer — before his supposed “divine encounter”. He is now an absconding criminal. So, when the families of the dead and injured need it the most, they don’t have anyone. Viral videos from hours after the incident have shown family members of the victims pleading for ambulances, senior officers, or any kind of medical help to just placate the chaos that had fallen upon them.

This begs the questios: Where are the saviors now? Weren’t they protecting devotees from evil? 

Superstitions around the world are getting so deep-rooted that even death is becoming negotiable. When the stampede becomes fatal, some devotees assume that at least their lives were sacrificed for the deities. 

Islamic tradition is said to hold that being buried in Mecca after passing away is a blessing, and many Muslims make the pilgrimage in their later years after saving money all their youth. Old age, cramped spaces, and devotion to one small point in the area is the same recipe for stampedes. In 2015, 2,400 pilgrims died during the Hajj but many families of the deceased were grateful that at least Allah accepted their Hajj. 

India has been treading on a similarly dangerous path for a while now. According to a 2013 study published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, religious gatherings and pilgrimages account for 79 per cent of stampede incidents in the country. The fact that many significant temples are situated on hills, riverbanks, or other uneven terrains plays a big role.

Most incidents have similar common threads: poor amenities, narrow exits,  a superstitious trigger, ignorance from authorities to follow the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)’s crowd management recommendations published in 2014 and inefficient responses.

The biggest common thread, though, is the inability to take lessons and action. With every stampede, it seems that people don’t get shocked by 150 deaths anymore. There are no protests, no demands of accountability and the grief becomes exclusive to the kin once the news value runs its course. 

Religion is a sensitive and sacred matter in India, and rightfully so. But until the dangers of superstitions and the sensitivity to separate all of it from human lives are taken equally seriously, a solution for one of India’s biggest issues will remain elusive.

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

2024-07-03T13:34:53Z dg43tfdfdgfd