Stampede occurred at a political Rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu

Posted 29 Sep 2025

2 min read

Article Summary

A stampede at a Tamil Nadu rally highlights the dangers of crowd chaos, often caused by human behavior, structural issues, management flaws, and inadequate safety measures at mass gatherings.

About Stampede

It’s an impulsive mass movement of a crowd that often results in injuries and deaths
Stampedes in India
- Nearly 4,000 stampede events were recorded in last 3 decades.
- 3,074 lives were lost in stampedes (2000-2022).
- Studies show majority stampedes in India took place in religious gatherings.

Causes and Triggers for Crowd Disasters

Human Behaviour
- Breakdown of Cooperation (Mintz's Theory): In panic situations, cooperation works only until it breaks—once disturbed, it collapses and worsens panic.
- Craze (Smelser's Theory): He defined "craze" as rush of people, where the pursuit of something gratifying can make crowds act against their own interests.
Structural casuse: E.g., Blocked exits or evacuation routes or lack of light.
Management flaws:
- Miscommunication: E.g., In Tirupati (2025), people rushed because they mistakenly thought ticket counters had opened.
- Others: Crowd flow not being divided for different groups, etc.

NDMA guidelines on Crowd Management

Capacity Planning: Monitoring visitor flow, ensuring basic facilities (water, rest), using multiple routes, etc.
Risk and Vulnerability Analysis: Assessing threats and risks at mass gatherings to plan ahead and support efficient rescue and relief.
Develop a course of action: By outlining options, required resources, and matching them with availability.