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Maha Kumbh stampede and RCB Celebration stampede' after visuals (Img: Pinterest)
New Delhi: A stampede at Bihar's Ashok Dham Temple has once again pulled India's crowd-safety arrangements into the spotlight, which brought back the memories of the other incidents since 2024. From last two years temple festivals and pilgrimages to a railway station rush and even a cricket victory celebration, large gatherings across the country have repeatedly turned fatal within minutes.
Here's a look back at 10 major crowd disasters that have claimed lives across India since 2024.
The most recent tragedy struck at Ashok Dham Temple in Bihar's Lakhisarai district, where a large crowd of devotees is reported to have triggered a stampede. Seven people died and 12 were injured; the injured were rushed to Sadar Hospital, with several in serious condition and all of them reportedly women. Ashok Dham is a major Shiva temple and one of the district's most prominent religious sites, regularly drawing large crowds during key religious occasions. Officials are now investigating what set off the crush and whether crowd-management failures played a role.
Not every crowd disaster happens at a temple. In Karur, a crush broke out during a political rally addressed by then Actor Vijay, now Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister, on September 27, 2025. Then Chief Minister MK Stalin later put the toll at 41 dead, with dozens more injured. The rally, organised by Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party, drew a massive turnout. A judicial inquiry led by retired judge Aruna Jagadeesan was ordered to determine whether poor planning or crowd-control lapses contributed to the deaths.
Nine devotees died in a stampede at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Kasibugga on November 1, 2025. Officials said roughly 25,000 people had packed into a venue built to hold about 2,000 which was a mismatch that again raised hard questions about how religious sites plan for surges in attendance. Eighteen injuries were reported.
Eight people, including a six-year-old child, were killed on July 27, 2025, in a stampede on the pedestrian path leading to the Mansa Devi temple near Har Ki Pauri. Twenty-eight others were injured, some critically. The tragedy underscored that it isn't just temple premises that need crowd management but also the roads and narrow access points can be just as dangerous.
A celebration turned tragic in Bengaluru on June 4, 2025, when thousands of fans gathered near M Chinnaswamy Stadium to mark Royal Challengers Bengaluru's first IPL title. The crowd outside the stadium spiralled out of control, leaving 11 dead and 56 injured. The incident was a reminder that fatal crushes aren't limited to religious gatherings — and it triggered scrutiny of venue capacity, access planning and police deployment.
Six people died and dozens were hurt in the early hours of May 3, 2025, during the annual Lairai Devi temple festival in Shirgao, North Goa. At least 30 people were injured, some requiring critical care, as thousands of devotees converged on the site.
New Delhi Railway Station on February 2025: 18 Dead
Eighteen people, including five children, died in a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on February 15, 2025. The victims were caught in a massive crush around platforms 14 and 15 as passengers rushed to board trains toward Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh. The tragedy was a stark illustration that the journey to a major religious event can turn deadly before pilgrims even arrive. An inquiry was ordered.
One of the world's largest religious gatherings turned fatal on January 29, 2025, when a crowd crush struck the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj on one of its most significant bathing days. The initial toll of 30 deaths and 60 injuries was later revised upward by the Uttar Pradesh government to 37 dead.
Six devotees died on January 8, 2025, in a stampede near Vishnu Nivasam and Bairagi Patteda in Tirupati, where crowds had gathered for the distribution of Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam tokens. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams confirmed the toll and an inquiry followed, raising fresh questions about how crowds should be managed when millions compete for a limited number of darshan slots.
The deadliest of them all remains Hathras. On July 2, 2024, 121 people — most of them women, with children among the dead — were killed in a crush at a religious gathering that was reportedly far larger than what organisers had been permitted to hold. The disaster struck as the event was ending and thousands tried to leave at once. It triggered a major investigation into event permissions, crowd size and organiser accountability, and remains one of the deadliest stampedes in India's recent history.
Ten incidents, more than 260 lives lost, and a common thread running through nearly all of them: gatherings that outgrew the space and planning meant to hold them. Whether at a centuries-old temple, a political rally, a railway platform or outside a cricket stadium, the pattern is strikingly consistent — and, as Ashok Dham shows, still unresolved.
