On Thursday, July 4, Mumbai saw a sea of humans stretching from Nariman Point to the Wankhede Stadium along the Marine Drive covering approximately 2 km. The crowd had gathered to witness the Indian Cricket Team's open-bus parade following their recent T20 World Cup win.
Mumbai Police implemented extensive security measures for Thursday evening’s road show anticipating a large turnout of fans. Emergency medical services were arranged at multiple points on the parade route to ensure immediate assistance in case of health emergencies. The size of the crowd on the parade route and inside the stadium was humongous. No doubt the Indian team deserved every bit of the adulation they received after their memorable feat, but coming as it did soon after the stampede at a religious congregation at Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, which claimed over 120 lives, the huge crowd at the parade was certainly a cause for concern; not that it was the first such incident though.
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In the Hathras incident, according to reports, there were over 2.5 lakh participants at the venue, which could accommodate no more than 80,000. They had gathered at Fulrai village to listen to a preacher Suraj Pal, also known as Narayan Sakar Hari or “Bhole Baba”. Investigation is underway to determine the cause of the stampede, but one key reason cited is overcrowding. What is said to have exacerbated matters was the woefully inadequate medical support for the victims. But at the bottom of it lay a poor crowd management system. Authorities must leave no stone unturned to ensure that those who organise such events have the resources at their command to prevent any untoward incident.