Amritsar tragedy: Why the faithful abandoned their instinct for survival

Of late, there is a sentiment that a Hindu religious celebration takes place within the protective embrace of the state - where for a fleeting interval of time, the rules can be bent

Dussehra evening in Punjab brought death and sorrow. The news spread like wildfire just as countless ‘Ravan Dahan’ ceremonies across the nation were finishing with the task of putting evil to bed.

“Some 60 people have died after a train mowed into them in Amritsar. Mowed into a crowd? How can that happen?”, I overheard a cobbler say to a customer when he heard the news the next morning. The disbelief at the thought that hundreds of people milling around the railway tracks didn’t see or sense the approaching disaster is as palpable as the horror of the disaster. The basic