IDDUKI, India: Indian authorities were angrily blamed Sunday for again allowing a religious gathering to turn into scene of bloody mayhem after a stampede in which more than 100 people were crushed to death. Stampedes are a regular risk in India where policing and crowd control are often inadequate at temples and on festival routes, where huge throngs of worshippers congregate on auspicious occasions. Just three policemen, two doctors and 30 forest officials were overseeing 300,000 pilgrims Friday evening, the Indian Express newspaper said, citing D. Salim Raj, the crime branch deputy superintendent investigating the tragedy. A traffic accident is thought to have triggered panic among worshippers as they crossed mountainous terrain in the dark after visiting the Sabarimala in Kerala on the last day of an annual festival. “Absence of proper roads, communication facilities and a crisis management team on the spot made rescue operations impossible,” the Express said. “How casually the state government handled the center is evident from the fact that (the site) does not even have a single toilet.” The New Indian Express, a separate newspaper based in the southern city of Chennai, blamed the Kerala government for not preventing hysteria. Under the headline “For God's sake, let's end this fraud”, the paper said that stallholders, traders and local businesses promoted the event to draw in crowds. “Murder charges should be framed against those who conspire to allow this fraud to continue,” it said. It is the second time in recent years that the festival has been struck by disaster. In 1999 more than 50 worshippers died after a landslide at the site. – Agence France
