Religious Insanity > Another crushing episode of Hinduism - More than 50 dead so far this year

 

At least 15 killed and 15 injured in

New Delhi rail station stampede

By Mike Heuer

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears at a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House on Thursday and on Saturday expressed his sorrow over the deaths of at least 15 people during a human stampede at a New Delhi railway station. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Rail passengers in New Delhi, India, caused a stampede that killed at least 15 Saturday night while trying to board a train heading to the world's largest religious gathering.

The deadly stampede occurred at about 8 p.m. Saturday as crowds of people surged forward to board a train heading to the Maha Kumbh Hindu festival that occurs every 12 years in Prayagraj, India, NDTV reported.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he is "distressed" by the stampede.

"My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones," Modi said in a post on X. "I pray that the injured have a speedy recovery."

This occurred barely two weeks after the last stampede killed 38 people in Prayagraj...

Religious Insanity > The most crushing religions of the world - Hinduism and Islam

Modi said local authorities are assisting all who have been affected by the stampede.

The stampede occurred when a railway station worker announced a special train bound for the Maha Kumbh festival was accepting passengers, The Times of India reported.

The stampede lasted about 15 minutes and caused multiple casualties.

The Delhi Fire Service dispatched four fire tenders to the railway station after receiving a call for help.

The Railway Protection Force and Delhi Police transported the injured to nearby hospitals for treatment, but at least 15 were reported dead.

India's Ministry of Railways said a "high-level" investigation of the tragedy has been ordered.

A local deputy commissioner of police in a prepared statement said the rail station's platform 14 had many people readying to board the Prayagraj Express train.

The nearby platforms 12 and 13 also were full of passengers awaiting two other express trains that had been delayed.

The sudden rush of people to platform 14 caused many passengers to suffocate and pass out.

Delhi Lt. Gov. VK Saxena visited the railway station and afterward said all victims are receiving medical treatment, the station is under control and trains are running normally, NDTV reported.

Religious Insanity > The most crushing religions of the world - Hinduism and Islam

 

Worshippers killed, injured in stampede at India's Kumbh Mela religious festival

By Sheri Walsh

Hindu devotees gather ahead of the second sacred bathing ritual, or 'Shahi Snan', during the Kumbh Mela festival at Sangam, the confluence of the holy rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati, in Prayagraj, northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India on Tuesday. On Wednesday morning, dozens of worshippers were feared dead following a crush or stampede that also left others injured. Photo by Prabhat Kumar Verma/EPA-EFE

Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Dozens of worshippers are feared dead and many more injured following a stampede or crush Wednesday at the massive Kumbh Mela religious festival in northern India, according to officials.

Local officials in the city of Prayagraj, where the world's largest religious event was taking place, reported 38 worshippers killed, as the government has yet to release an official death toll.

According to a paramilitary officer at the scene, "There were multiple stampedes. There were at least 200 injured and I'd say around 50 dead." A doctor in Prayagraj claimed, "At least 15 people have died for now. Others are being treated."

A record 100 million people were expected to take a holy dip at the Sangam, the holy confluence of three rivers, as officials warned worshippers to take baths at other points along the Ganga river.

Wednesday's crowds during the six-week festival were larger as all 13 sects of holy people took their holy baths in the Ganges on a day that also coincided with the celestial alignment of the sun, moon and Jupiter for the Maha or grand Kumbh Mela, which only takes place every 144 years.

"I appeal to all the devotees that because a large crowd has gathered in Prayagraj today, they should not insist on taking a holy dip only at the Sangam Ghat," Hindu religious leader Jagatguru Rambhadracharya warned before the stampede, according to Times of India.

Wednesday's bathing ritual at Kumbh Mela was canceled "due to the heavy rush of devotees."

The Hindu festival began two weeks ago, with nearly 148 million attending. The festival is scheduled to continue until Feb. 26. Kumbh Mela is considered the "festival of festivals" in the Hindu religious calendar in India, since it takes place every 12 years.

Earlier this month, some journalists called the Maha Kumbh Mela festival a "disaster waiting to happen," as 400 million pilgrims were expected to bathe in the rivers. To manage the crowds, officials said they planned to employ artificial intelligence and underwater drones.

"We want everyone to go back home happily after having fulfilled their spiritual duties," said Amit Kumar, a senior police officer heading tech operations for the festival.

"AI is helping us avoid reaching that critical mass in sensitive places," he said last week. "We are using AI to track people flow, crowd density at various inlets, adding them up and then interpolating from there."

"The personal bubble of an individual is quite big in the West," said Kumar, as he explained crowd density that would trigger alarms. "The standard there is three people per square foot. But we can afford to go several times higher than that."

According to authorities, nearly 70% of India's deadly crowd disasters have occurred during religious mass gatherings.

In 1954, more than 400 people were trampled to death or drowned on one day at Kumbh Mela.

In 1986, 53 worshippers were killed and 39 injured as hundreds of Hindu pilgrims rushed to cleanse their sins in the holy Ganges River. Police had mistakenly directed the crowd onto a dead-end street where many were trampled.

At least 40 pilgrims were killed and more than 60 were injured in a stampede at the Kumbh Mela in western India's Nasik town in August 2003.

Ten years later, more than 36 people -- mostly women and children -- were killed in another stampede, before the head of the Kumbh Mela festival organizing committee resigned "on moral grounds."

Following the deaths of 10 people at the Ganges River in 2015, organizers of the Kumbh Mela festival imposed a selfie ban to prevent future stampedes during the ritual bathing.

A survey of volunteers and local administrators participated in a "human behavior study," which found people who took selfies slowed the flow of worshippers through the river, leading to pushing and panicking.

Islamic madness is even worse

Islam is also noted for crushing worshippers to death at the annual Hajj as hundreds of thousands of Muslims come from all over the world to walk around a black rock. 

1990 Incident](https://x.com/i/grok?text=0%2[520Incident))](https://x.com/i/grok?text=5[20Incident)))](https://x.com/i/grok?text=20Incident)))): A stampede in a pedestrian tunnel near Mecca resulted in approximately 1,400 deaths.

2015 Incident](https://x.com/i/grok?text=5%2[520Incident))](https://x.com/i/grok?text=5[20Incident)))](https://x.com/i/grok?text=20Incident)))): The deadliest hajj disaster occurred on September 24, 2015, in Mina, near Mecca. Various sources and unofficial counts suggested that over 2,000 pilgrims died, with an Associated Press count suggesting at least 2,411 deaths, though the official Saudi count was significantly lower at 769.

Other Incidents: There have been several other incidents over the years, including a 2006 stampede that killed 363 pilgrims

1. Frequency and Causes:
   • Crowd Crushes and Stampedes: These have been among the most deadly incidents during Hajj, with significant events in 1990 (1,426 deaths), 2004 (251 deaths), and the most tragic in 2015 (over 2,400 deaths according to some counts, though officially reported lower).
   • Heat-related Illnesses: Extreme temperatures, especially during the summer months when Hajj often falls, contribute to numerous deaths each year. In 2024, over 1,300 deaths were reported, with many attributed to the heat, particularly among unauthorized pilgrims who lacked access to proper facilities.

     

     

     
   • Medical Emergencies: Pilgrims, many of whom are elderly or have pre-existing health conditions, can succumb to various health issues exacerbated by the physical demands and environmental conditions of Hajj.

     
2. Annual Variation:
   • The number of deaths can range from tens to thousands, depending on the year. For instance, in 2023, there were reports of over 200 deaths, while 2024 saw a significant spike to over 1,300 due to extreme heat.

     

     
   • The scale of the pilgrimage, which can attract over 2 million people, inherently increases the risk of accidents and health emergencies.

Islam and Hinduism are the second and third most popular religions behind Christianity. Yet, one never hears of Christians being crushed to death in a mad race for the Ganges or because there were a hundred thousand people in constant motion and 100+ degrees F. 

I can't imagine how Hindus would think that bathing in the waters of a river with a couple million others could possibly be a holy or cleansing experience. I'll take the cleansing of sins from Jesus Christ Who did all that suffering for me. 

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