page_title: Mahamaham stampede
section_title: 2004 event
hierarchical_section_title: Mahamaham stampede / 2004 event
caption_attribution_description: English: Hindu temple, kumbakonam, masimagam
context_page_description: Mahamaham Stampede was a disaster that occurred during the Mahamaham festival on 18 February 1992 around the Mahamaham tank located in the town of Kumbakonam in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. An estimated 50 people were killed in the stampede that left another 74 injured. The festival was attended by the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha, who had a holy dip in the tank.
context_section_description: The Mahamaham event of 2004 passed off without any mishaps. The state government spent nearly 50 crores (Rs500 million) for developing the local infrastructure of Kumbakonam. It included 88 lakhs (Rs8.8 million) sanctioned for carrying out public health measures and sanitary arrangements  21 shutter gates were set up at the approaches to the tank and the exits were clearly identified.  Closed circuit surveillance television was employed for video surveillance and crowd control.  Tamil Nadu Police employed closed to 20,000 security personnel for the estimated 20 lakh visitors. The festivities were spaced out to 10 days to allow pilgrims to take sacred bath from day one. Around 3000 railway police personnel were employed for the 17 Feb function.  Southern railways operated additional trains via Kumbakonam in the new broad gauge converted railway lines from Villupuram to Kumbakonam. Around 5-6 lakh railway travel tickets were sold for the event compared to the 1.5 lakh for the 1992 event.  In the aftermath felicitation event held on 30 March in Trichy, the retired Deputy General of Police, Walter Davaram was quoted as saying "I take moral responsibility for the fiasco during the mahamaham held in 1992. But I must say that these police officials have done a much better job than that during my time,". He also insisted on documenting the event proceedings that involved meticulous planning and execution of security arrangements. Doordarshan, the national television channel, telecast the event live for the first time. Keeping the eventualities in mind, Jayalalitha, the chief minister during the 2004 festival also, stayed away from the function.
caption: A section of tank during Masimagam festival
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