Agreed, crowd management is tough but lives are precious!
I totally understand that crowd management is a huge task. This task becomes gargantuan, especially when stars are present. But seriously, are human lives of no value at all? And why do we put ourselves in such serious situations in the first place? We need to kill the monsters in all of us!
We have a serious problem – ‘Mass Amnesia’ of mishaps/stampedes/disasters, in short, nearly everything!
A few months ago, it was the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) victory rally; yesterday, it was Tamil movie star Ilayathalapati (the young commander) Vijay’s rally in Karur. And countless other meetings or roadshows. Our generation really has a very short memory. We grieve over the loss of people’s lives for a short while. And then forget! So much so that this ‘mass’ amnesia, I think, will become a permanent fixture in the memories of our future generations!
Mismanaged crowds cannot lose precious lives.
But what about the families of the ones who have lost their loved ones? Some are young children, some are women, some are the sole breadwinners of their families, and some may even be old people. But whoever it is, they lose precious lives for no reason. We must prevent this at any cost.
But how do we prevent such mishaps in the first place?
I know the police and organisers of meetings/roadshows take considerable efforts to prevent any mishaps. But how do we avert any loss of lives in the first place? We in India are prone to hero worship like no other people in this world. But shouldn’t we be more careful and serious about our lives?
Serious deterrents are needed.
Everyone should respect the laws and permissions. Road shows, if conducted, should be managed with strict safety provisions. The management of the 2024 T-20 victory parade of the Indian Cricket team by the Mumbai police is a shining example of this.
If anyone breaks the law, strict fines and stringent punishments will serve as serious deterrents. Above all, people should think twice before venturing into crowded places, meetings, etc. With all the advances in internet technologies, live streams, one should try to view such events on these platforms if possible.
Care should be taken to ensure that no children, elders, or women enter such crowded places in the first place. Please stay safe and help others remain safe!