Madhya Pradesh Ratangarh Temple Stampede October 13, 2013 – 110 dead and Counting– Do We Care?

Nearly 100,000 devotees converged for the final day of Navratri Festival on October 13, 2013 at Ratangarh Temple in Datia District in Madhya Pradesh. The stampede happened on a bridge leading to the temple killing more than 110 people mostly women and children. Do we Hindus care about the lives of our brothers and sisters? The official apathy and callous attitude shown towards crowd management during Hindu festivals is nothing new. Have we ever bothered to ask why there is always poor crowd-control techniques and planning by the authorities during Hindu festivals? This will continue in future because we Hindus are never united and are not bothered about the welfare of the community. 

The stampede resulted due to the overcrowding on a bridge that leads to the temple. The bridge is 500m long and just 10m wide.

This is not the first time a tragedy has struck in this temple. In 2006, 50 pilgrims had got washed away falling in panic into the Sindh River from the same bridge.

As usual blame game has started.

Official apathy is the reason for such stampedes. When it is known that a large crowd will assemble in the temple during Navratri, officials should have first take care of crowd management, security and life of the people participating in the festival.

Temple stampedes during festivals and auspicious days are nothing new in India.

Wai Temple Stampede in Maharashtra in 2005 – 265 dead

Madhya Pradesh Ratangarh Temple – 50 pilgrims had got washed away falling in panic into the Sindh River

Naina Devi Temple tragedy in 2008 – 145 dead

Chamunda temple at Jodhpur 2008 – 147 dead

63 dead after a temple gate crashed in UP in 2010

100 dead in Stampede in Sabarimala in Kerala in January 2011 ...the list is endless.

At this moment we can only pray for those that lost their precious lives in the tragedy at Madhya Pradesh Ratangarh Temple on October 13, 2013.