Santa believes the Kedarnath trek has been spared from stampedes due to divine blessings. Banta shatters this illusion with a grim analogy, arguing that the state has been playing Russian Roulette with pilgrim safety and its luck just ran out at Mansa Devi.
Crowd Management
The Three Unlucky Cousins
It was a visit from three very dangerous cousins, Ignored Warning, Poor Planning, and No Cooperation and not mere bad luck that caused the recent Himalayan disaster.
Santa’s Permit Pilgrimage and the Three-Headed Rakshas
Spit amongst three different districts, managing a major emergency in Rishikesh could really be challenging and warrants serious reforms.
Beyond Faith and Fate: A Blueprint for Crowd Safety in Uttarakhand’s Sacred Spaces
Though tragic, the Mansa Devi stampede of 27 July 2025 in Haridwar is a wake up call to seriously review and gear up Uttarakhand’s crowd safety and management capabilities.