Spectacle over safety: discuss the ethical responsibilities of political executives and event organisers in managing large religious festivals.

The National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) treats stampedes as human-induced and preventable disasters [1]. A recent stampede at a Kolkata Durga Puja pandal happened while the government was celebrating how many pandals there were, and crowds were not being properly regulated. Deaths at a permitted event are therefore a breach of the duty of care, not fate.

Ethical responsibilities of political executives

• Safety over image: judge the festival by safety audits completed, not by the number of pandals. Public office is held for citizens, not for show.
• Due diligence at the permit stage: NIDM names casual issue of permits and understaffed permitting bodies as causes of stampedes [1]. Lanes, exits and capacity must be checked before approval.
• Clear accountability: unclear roles let police and organisers blame each other [1]. Name one authority answerable for each venue.
• Binding but fair rules: NDMA's 2014 crowd guide is only advisory [2]. Karnataka's 2025 Bill goes the other way, with a ₹1 crore indemnity bond and liability "regardless of fault" [3]. Rules should be in proportion to fault so that small community committees are not shut out.

Ethical responsibilities of event organisers

• Safety by design: provide separate, clearly marked entry and exit points [4], even at the cost of artistic effects such as a narrow opening that controls light.
• No cost-cutting on safety: hiring untrained private security to save money is a known cause of stampedes [1]. Train volunteer marshals instead.
• Honesty about capacity: declare a realistic capacity and stop entry once the venue is full.
• Inclusion: the UN–UNESCO accessibility guidelines, which West Bengal joined in 2026, cover emergency preparedness [6]. Exits must also work for persons with disabilities.

Shared stake: living heritage

• UNESCO calls Durga Puja "the best instance of the public performance of religion and art" [5]. The public taking part is the heritage, so protecting that public is part of preserving it.

Faith and public display can go together with safety, but only if both the state and the organisers put people before image. Three steps would help: permits that depend on safety audits, trained marshals, and compulsory event insurance, which NDMA's 2014 guidelines already recommend [3]. Together they would turn advice into accountability. This upholds the right to life under Article 21 and SDG 11's aim of safe, inclusive cities.