Mathura-Vrindavan crowd management not based on science, observes Allahabad HC

The Allahabad High Court observed that Mathura-Vrindavan crowd management is not based on science, and issued recommendations to the Uttar Pradesh government to reform the system.

Justice Vinod Diwakar sought affidavits from the vice-chairman of the Mathura-Vrindavan Development Authority (MVDA), the district magistrate, the municipal commissioner, and the senior superintendent of police.

The court cited crowd science studies: individual control collapses at densities of 4-5 persons per square meter, and 6-7 persons per square meter can lead to compressive asphyxia.

The court recommended introducing crowd behaviour science as a formal subject in university courses.

The court's directives were issued during a hearing on a petition by Swami Shiv Swaroopanand Maharaj, originally about an illegal construction in Vrindavan.