At least five attendees of the Indian Air Force (IAF) air display in Chennai on Sunday passed away, and many expressed their displeasure with the large numbers, the heat, and the poor organisation.
After the show, a man apparently had a sunstroke while riding his bike. He spent over an hour snarled in traffic.
“Volunteers even identified his condition as he was losing control amid the stranded crowd and helped him get off the bike,” an eyewitness told news agency.
A post-mortem would determine the cause of death, according to a top medical officer. Concerns have been expressed about the Indian Air Force’s aggressive efforts to break the Limca Book of World Records by trying to bring in 15 lakh spectators, which is far more than can be controlled, as well as the Chennai City Police’s inadequate crowd control and traffic management.
Unmanageable gatherings should be prevented, according to DMK MP K Kanimozhi. “The news of the death of 5 people is very sad and painful when the public who witnessed the IAF adventure program held at the Marina beach in Chennai suffered from the crowd and the temperature was high. Unmanageable gatherings should also be avoided,” she said.
Prior to the event, everything had gone according to plan, including extensive traffic diversion and parking restrictions. However, the throng grew to such an extent that the elevated MRTS railway stations along the Marina Beach road became a sea of people closer to the air show, which is scheduled to take place at 11 am.
After the event, as the crowd began to disperse, chaos broke out. The area along Beach Road seemed to be inhabited to the smallest detail.
It was supposedly not a good setup for drinking water in the spectator area. Hundreds of people had to walk three to four kilometres on congested roads in the sweltering heat to catch a public transport or retrieve their cars because there was no public transport available.
Many, including kids, were simply exhausted and dehydrated as they slumped on the pavement. Many were observed assisting to fatigued or fainting individuals.
On most routes, cars and two-wheelers erratically joined both lanes without any police regulation in place, leaving them trapped for over two hours.
Many police personnel were busy returning on their two wheelers, turning into dumb observers. They waited for public outcry before enforcing regulations or stepping in to assist stuck ambulances.
Along the roadways, there were no stations providing drinking water. The majority of restaurants along these areas were closed, and the stores that were open quickly ran out of soft drinks and water.
A woman who had brought her two children said, “The state government has failed us. No proper arrangements at all either at the venue or on the roads”.
For security, the Chennai police had sent out 1,500 home guards and 6,500 police officers.
It’s unclear if the Tamil Nadu government, which has a reputation for opposing to large gatherings due to security concerns, had warned the Air Force about its concerns or suggested not to overhype the spectacle.
Health Minister Ma Subramanian said in a statement the state Chief Secretary had presided over a coordination meeting with IAF and other officials had held several meetings. “Arrangements were made keeping in mind IAF’s demands. The Chennai Corporation and Metro Water too had made adequate temporary toilets and drinking water arrangements,” he said.
There was another unattributed note that said, “There was nobody deceased in the crowd. Mismanagement or a large crowd does not cause deaths.”
The Special Garud Force commandos had performed a simulated rescue operation and hostage-freeing demonstration as part of the air show. Additionally, 72 aircraft were on display, including the Rafale, the Tejas, a modern light combat aircraft built in the country, the Prachand light combat helicopter, and the Dakota heritage aircraft.
