Death in a stampede

The death of 10 people in a stampede at the entrance of a community hall where a feast was arranged on the occasion of qulkhwani of former mayor of Chittagong, ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury is tragic indeed. Qulkhwani is a solemn post-funeral occasion observed by the Muslims where invitees are served a main meal as part of community solidarity. A beloved leader Mohiuddin Chowdhury's death has been mourned by all religious communities in Chittagong. So it was only natural that a separate menu for those non-beef eaters was arranged on the occasion. And as ill luck would have been, tragedy struck guests at the community hall reserved for such non-beef eaters. The agency responsible for maintenance of security at that convention hall has denied any laxity there. It was the slope at the gate of the community hall that has been blamed for the stampede. True, the ramp there gave in but unless people jostled with each other, the question of a stampede does not arise.

Stampede deaths are mostly a sub-continental feature. One of the reasons for this is gathering of a larger crowd than a venue can accommodate. In Chittagong also, this was the case. With a capacity for not more than 5,000 people, the convention hall at Chittagong had to host about 10,000 guests. That people can huddle and jostle for entry there on such a sombre occasion is distasteful. Discipline is not a plus point for people in this part of the world. When free meals and jakat clothes are distributed among the poor either on some occasion or during the Eid-ul-Fitr, there is irrational competition leading to a stampede and deaths at times. The organisers have their own faults as well. They do not take enough precaution to avoid such tragedies.

Religious sites are the most likely places to witness such tragedies. During pilgrimages to holy sites in India such as Badrinath, Haridwar, Kedarnath, a number of such stampede tragedies has taken place. In holy Mecca too, such tragedies happen during the pilgrimage. Impulse gets the better of survival instinct in most such cases, that really triggers a stampede. EM Forster in his seminal work, A Passage to India has been sorely critical of the chaos and anarchy marking religious observances by the Indian communities, the Hindus in particular. He is on the target, no doubt.

Now that people in this part of the world have also made enough progress on many counts including living standard, they should focus on discipline treating it as a cardinal virtue. A cosmopolitan culture demands that at least in urban centres, people know how to manage rush of people at a venue. A few festivals such as the Pahela Baishakh celebration or the Ekushey homage paying where more than a million people gather, the rush is well taken care of. It is possible because the presence of a heavy contingent of law enforcement agency. Private functions cannot ensure such vigilance but at least those great festivals show the way for others how to manage rush.