India, a country of 1.4 billion people burgeoning from all sides, is a proud democracy that has withstood many landslides and hurricanes. Our country is the 4th largest economy in the world in terms of nominal GDP with the highest number of GenZ in its fold and a potpourri of many ethnicities, cultures, languages and festivals. India has become the biggest crowd manager on the world platform. As India’s population swells and public gatherings grow in scale and emotion, managing the crowd has become one of governance’s greatest human challenge.

A crowd is a temporarily unorganised gathering of people in a public place who lack a common goal or shared identity resulting in more irrational and temporary behaviour. A group is a collection of people with shared identity, purpose and structure, fostering personal relationships and lasting contact. Both of them can become a Mob. The transition to a mob is marked by a significant increase in emotional intensity,a loss of individual identity and moral restraint (Deindividuation).

The Dynamics of Crowds

Crowds are dynamic, unpredictable, and deeply human phenomena. They reflect the collective energy of individuals who momentarily surrender personal restraint to a shared emotion or goal. Crowd management, therefore, is not merely a matter of physical control or policing – it is the science of understanding human behaviour in mass settings. In a nation like India, the study of crowd behaviour gains unparalleled importance. With a rapid increasing population, the challenge of managing human movement, especially in confined or emotionally charged spaces, has become increasingly complex. The global crowd management systems market valued at $2.5 billion in 2024 is projected to grow to $5.1 billion by 2033.

Infrastructure

The country’s demographic expansion has created immense pressure on public infrastructure – railway platforms brimming with passengers, congested urban junctions, and vast gatherings during religious festivals like the Kumbh Mela. Each event is a reminder that population density amplifies both the opportunities and vulnerabilities of collective life.

A swelling population means not only more people but also greater emotional diversity and unpredictability within crowds. As India’s cities expand and migration increases, crowd management now demands a mix of psychology, technology and careful planning.  

Psychology at Play

Understanding the psychology of groups is central to this challenge. Theories of group dynamics, from Kurt Lewin to Gustave Le Bon, reveal that individuals behave differently when they become part of a crowd. Personal judgement often gives way to collective emotion. A sense of anonymity, shared purpose, can trigger reactions ranging from unity to aggression.

Crowd behaviour is explained by theories like Contagion theory (emotions spread rapidly, leading to irrationality), Convergence theory (crowds form from like-minded people acting on existing beliefs), and Emergent-Norm theory (norms and rationales develop within the crowd). Crowds can turn into mobs when these factors, combine with factors like anonymity, lack of social control, and environmental triggers (such as cramped spaces or symbolic locations), lead to a loss of individual responsibility and a heightened state of suggestibility and frenzied, often violent behaviour.

Crowd management in India has gained significance in view of the stampede at a campaign rally in Karur, Tamil Nadu. More than 30000 people had gathered to attend a political rally led by a film star. The NCRB report on Accidental Deaths and suicides in India states that from 2000 to 2022, 3074 lives were lost in stampedes, with nearly 4000 stampede incidents recorded over the past three decades. 79 per cent of these stampedes between 2001 and 2014 occurred at places of worship.

From Kumbh Mela to political rallies understanding human behaviour is key to preventing tragedies. Safe organised gathering are not just about barriers, they reflect empathy, respect and civic responsibility. Crowd management is as much about human behaviour as it is about logistics and infrastructure. Millions in motion can be safe or chaotic, the difference lies in planning and awareness. Tragic stampedes start with small lapses in communication or crowd movement.

2025 Kumbh Mela, a case study

Lessons from the Kumbh Mela: Indian Railways shows the way.

The Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj in 2025 was one of the largest human gatherings on earth, exemplifies both scale and sophistication of crowd control. Millions assembled to take a holy dip at the Sangam in Amrit kaal an event which occurs once in 12 years. This year an estimated 670 million people attended the event. Single day peak was on 29 January 2025 where 76 million people attended. The Indian Railways spent months planning for the event.

•Temporary terminals and satellite stations were opened for smooth train operations.

•AI based crowd density tool and drone surveillance were used round the clock.

•Real time co-ordination between railways, police and civil authorities.

•Behavioural training for front line staff to maintain calm and communicate clearly.

•Technology with empathy, AI and analytics was used as support.

•There was an infrastructure readiness with periodic re-design and mock drills.

•Indian Railways operated a record number of 17152 trains and significantly enhanced infrastructure and passenger amenities to manage influx of pilgrims.

Prayagraj and other nearby stations underwent a massive upgrade including 48 new platforms, 21 foot over bridges and 21 road over bridge and road under bridge. Several yard remodelling works were carried out at Prayagraj, Phaphamau, Rambagh and Jhusi. Permanent holding areas were constructed to manage crowds during peak times. 1186 CCTVs surveillance cameras with live feed were used in control rooms to manage the passenger flow.

Announcements in multi-lingual mode made communication easy. 9 stations were used for traffic management and unidirectional movement of passengers was adopted to prevent stampedes.

This model of crowd management adopted at Prayagraj is now being replicated over the Indian Railways system. As India gears up for Singasth Kumbh at Nasik (2027), Pushkaram at Rajahmundry (2027) and Kumbh at Ujjain (2028), major redevelopment works to enhance capacity are being carried out at all these stations.

The success story of Indian Railways at Prayagraj is a way forward for the country at large to adopt practices for safe crowd management.

Simulation models, clear signage, crowd movement mapping and emergency communication systems combined with massive infrastructure upgrade are vital for effective crowd management.

To conclude: crowds will continue to grow; gatherings will not cease. But if managed with intelligence and empathy, they can remain what they are meant to be – a reflection of collective purpose, not collective panic. The lesson from Kumbh, and from every crowded platform in India, is timeless; “to move the many we must first understand the mind”.

Indian Railways has initiated plans towards handling crowd management during major festival seasons and summer rush by creating holding areas to facilitate passengers. In a significant boost to passenger experience at one of the country's busiest terminals, newly constructed Yatri Suvidha Kendra (Permanent Holding Area) at New Delhi Railway Station has been developed.The centre is designed to accommodate approximately 7,000 passengers at any given time, dramatically enhancing pre-boarding comfort and flow.

This State of the Art Yatri Suvidha Kendra will provide comfort to passengers during festival season as there is a surge in the passenger volume. The Yatri Suvidha Kendra’s shall also be developed at other stations in the country.

(The author is an Indian Railway Traffic Service Officer of 1996 batch, presently Principal Chief Commercial Manager at South Central Railway)