LOCAL newspapers reported that at least 10 Hindu devotees, including seven women, were killed and many others injured in a stampede triggered by rumours of a bridge collapse when thousands crowded the bank of Old Brahmaputra river at Langalbandh in Sonargaon for a holy dip this Friday.
Sources from the police said that 10 people were declared dead on the spot by the doctors in medical camps set up for the ritual and eventually the bodies of the deceased (aged between 30 and 70 years) were handed over to their families. The news reports added that a total of 15 points along the Brahmaputra were designated for the holy dip (Astami Snan) in Langalbandh Bazar where devotees bathe in the waters and seek divine blessings. The tragedy struck when rumours spread in early morning that one of the two bailey bridges on the river had collapsed, triggering the stampede on a narrow road leading to a 50-metre road between the two bailey bridges and hundreds of devotees had crowded the area by that time, according to reports. Survivors said that people from three directions were packed in the small bazar area, some returning after taking the dip while others were heading towards the river bank and that the police had failed to maintain order. A three-member committee has been formed by the government to see whether there was any negligence and families of each victim was given Tk 25,000 for funeral, according to the district administration.
Usually stampedes are the result of a large crowd of people entering a small enclosed area amidst a lack of crowd-control or safety measures. We believe that this tragedy indicates the sheer ineptitude of the authorities responsible for the safety and security of worshippers. Large Hindu gatherings are not unusual as this event was an annual one. If adequate police, administration and health officials had been stationed at the worshipping area, the unfortunate loss of lives could have been easily averted. There should be a proper inquiry into the matter, but we are doubtful that it will bear fruit. The government should offer compensation to the relatives of victims killed in the stampede, as well as to the wounded, not to mention take care of necessary medical treatments for the affected. Whatever the government did was obviously not enough and more efforts must be given. It is their duty to secure safety of citizens in such public events and ensure dangerous mismanagement like this does not lead to stampedes.
