Deadly Stampedes Claim 127 Lives Across India in 2025: A Timeline of Crowd Management Failures

India experienced a concerning increase in deadly stampede incidents throughout 2025, with religious gatherings, festivals, and public events becoming scenes of tragedy nationwide.

From Goa to Haridwar, crowded venues repeatedly transformed into sites of panic and devastation, resulting in significant loss of human life as densely packed spaces proved deadly.

The year's most significant stampede incidents revealed systemic failures in crowd management across multiple states and various types of gatherings.

In Tirupati on January 8, six devotees perished during token distribution for Vaikuntha Dwara Sarvadarshanam. The sudden opening of gates amid overcrowding sparked panic, prompting Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to announce Rs 25 lakh compensation and employment opportunities for victims' families.

The Maha Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh witnessed approximately 30 fatalities during the Mauni Amavasya holy dip at Prayagraj's Sangam on January 29. Over 60 individuals sustained injuries as millions of devotees faced broken barriers, bottlenecks, and disruptive VIP movements, with women and children comprising many casualties.

February brought tragedy to New Delhi railway station, where sudden overcrowding claimed 18 lives, including 11 women and five children. Delayed trains bound for Maha Kumbh created dangerous conditions on platforms 14 and 15, affecting passengers from multiple states.

Goa's Shirgaon saw six fatalities and more than 50 injuries during the annual Lairai Devi jatra at Sree Devi Lairai temple in May, when thousands of devotees experienced sudden panic and chaotic surges.

Bengaluru mourned 11 deaths and 47 injuries during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's maiden IPL trophy celebration at Chinnaswamy Stadium in June, attributed to last-minute parade route alterations and underestimated attendance.

Haridwar's Mansa Devi temple became the site of another tragedy in July, with six devotees losing their lives on the temple staircase amid a sudden crowd surge that left several others injured.

One of the year's deadliest incidents occurred at actor-politician Vijay's TVK rally in Tamil Nadu's Karur on September 27, claiming 41 lives and injuring over 50 people. The event drew nearly triple the expected attendance, with delays in Vijay's arrival creating dangerous forward pressure in the crowd. This "huge man-made disaster" prompted a Supreme Court-ordered CBI investigation.

November brought further tragedy when nine devotees died during Ekadashi celebrations at Sri Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh. Weak railings and temporary barricades collapsed under crowd pressure at this privately managed temple, which reportedly lacked proper permissions and adequate crowd-control measures, resulting in a high-level state investigation.