What to Read in The Hindu Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

Editorial 1: Culture of risk

Context

The idea that mass gatherings can be planned casually should be abandoned.

Introduction

Recent tragedies at North Indian temples highlight a recurring pattern of poor infrastructure, panic-driven chaos, and avoidable deaths. Despite existing guidelines, authorities continue to overlook basic safety protocols at religious gatherings. These incidents remind us that mass faith events need not only devotion, but also strong planning, technology, and legal accountability to ensure public safety.

Two Tragedies, One Common Cause

• On July 27, 2025, a rumour at Mansa Devi temple, Haridwar, caused a stampede.
  • 8 people died after panic spread about a broken electric wire.
• On July 28, in Barabanki’s Avsaaneshwar temple, monkeys damaged a power line.
  • Panic followed, and 2 people lost their lives.
• Both cases were caused by fear of electrocution.
• Such dangers are common at temples, with loose wiring and crowded stalls.

Poor Infrastructure and Ignored Warnings

• Neither of the temples had:
  • Automatic power cut-off systems
  • Loudspeakersto clarify or stop rumours
• Old suggestionslike underground wires and voltage checks exist, but are not followed.
• Most stampedes in India happen during religious events, not everyday city life.
• Even though rules exist (like the NDMA and state guidelines), officials often ignore them.
  • For example, at Mansa Devi:
    • The same stairway was used for both entry and exit.
    • The alternate route was not fit for large crowds.

Need for Structural Change, Not Just Compensation

• After such events, states often offer money to victims’ families, but don’t fix the real problems.
• Safety rules by NDMA are not mandatory– temples treat them as optional.
• Religious places are often exempt from regular building safety codes.
• Huge crowdsare managed by volunteers or guards with little training.
• Funds meant for permanent safety workare often used for festivals instead.

What Must Be Done Now

• Every large event, religious or not, must be treated seriously and professionally.
• When crowd size goes above a set number, there should be:
  • A single command teamin charge
  • Use of AI cameras and LiDARto track crowd density
  • Real-time alertsto control movement
• Temples and venues must:
  • Display maximum capacity chartsat gates
  • Do quarterly safety drillsand show them live
  • Train all helpers and volunteers in basic crowd control and first aid

Conclusion

It is time to shift from symbolic compensation to real structural reforms. Pilgrim safety must become a non-negotiable priority, with strict laws, trained personnel, and modern technology in place. Faith must not be endangered by neglect or mismanagement. Ensuring safe spiritual experiences is not just administration’s duty—it’s a mark of respect to both devotion and human life.

 

 

Editorial 2: ​Build on this joint statement to try and save Gaza

Context

There is still time for the world to prove that humanity is united and equal for everyone.

Introduction

A recent joint statement by around 30 Western countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and Italy, has called for an end to the war in Gaza. The statement strongly criticises Israel for delaying humanitarian aid and for the inhumane killing of civilians, including children trying to access food and water. It says that denying essential help to the civilian population is unacceptable. The countries also condemn Israel’s reported plans to isolate Gaza and eventually force Palestinians to leave, calling such actions completely unacceptable.

• A recent western statement criticising Israelis the strongest so far, coming just as Israel attacks Deir al-Balah, a key refuge for displaced Palestinians.
• Deir al-Balahhas the infrastructure, staff, and systems needed to keep people alive — its destruction would be devastating.
• Despite this criticism, it’s unlikely to stop Israel.
• Most western countries continue to support Israelpolitically and economically, without real consequences for its actions.
• Germany and the U.S., Israel’s closest alliesand largest arms suppliers, did not sign the latest statement.
• This sends a clear message: their policies haven’t changed, and Israel may feel encouraged to continue.
• The global communitystill has a chance to step in and stop the destruction of the Palestinian people.
• This moment demands real action, not just words, to prevent further human tragedy.

Is Israel Committing Genocide?

• The International Court of Justice (ICJ)is looking into this, but a final ruling may take years.
• Many jurists, legal experts, and scholarsbelieve that what’s happening in Gaza does meet the definition of genocide.
• However, the debate itself has become political, distracting from the horrific facts on the ground.

The Reality in Gaza

• When the war began in October 2023, Gaza’s population was around 2.3 million.
• Over 60,000 people have been confirmed dead— possibly half of them women and children.
• Around 90% of the populationhas been forcibly displaced, many of them multiple times.
• The UN reportsthat the remaining people are now crammed into just 46 square kilometres of land.
  • That’s roughly 43,478 people per square kilometre, living in inhuman conditions.
• Systems of food supply, healthcare, and sanitation have collapsed, creating unbearable suffering.
• These are not just statistics— they represent a mass human tragedy.

Systematic Humanitarian Collapse in Gaza

• The real situation in Gazais worse than the numbers suggest — there appears to be a deliberate plan to destroy life and homes through starvation.
• Since the war began, Israel has restricted humanitarian aid, including an 11-week total blockadeearlier this year.
• A new aid delivery systemis in place, which Western nations say robs Palestinians of human dignity.
• Over a thousand starving peoplehave been killed while trying to get food, often in inhumane and desperate conditions.
• The UN reportsthat around one-third of Gazans are surviving without proper food.
• Exhaustion, hunger, and approaching faminenow affect nearly every part of the population.
• Is this not a form of genocide, given the scale and method of suffering?

Media Silence and Narrative Control

• Foreign journalists are bannedfrom reporting freely inside Gaza.
• Israel discredits reportsfrom non-Israeli sources, weakening global understanding of what’s happening on the ground.
• This information blockadehelps Israel deny or shape the story of its true goals in Gaza.

Ethnic Cleansing in Plain Sight

• Many believe Israel is carrying out ethnic cleansingin Gaza.
• Israeli leaders have spoken about a plan to:
  • Control most of Gaza
  • Force Palestinians into a so-called ‘humanitarian city’
  • Allow them to leave only if they agree to emigrate
• Even former Israeli Prime Ministers, Ehud Olmert and Yair Lapid, called this city a “concentration camp.”

The Destruction of a Future

• This plan is destroying any hope for future generationsof Palestinians.
• As economist Jean Drèzenoted, once famine hits:
  • People may begin to turn on each other,
  • Solidarity may break down, and
  • That could be used to label Palestinians as barbaricor less than human.
• This would falsely justify further actions and deny the idea that Palestinians are a peoplewith rights and dignity.

Stop the hedging

• The UN warnsthat the last ways to keep people alive in Gaza are collapsing.
• But the global community still has a chanceto stop the disaster from getting worse.
• Governmentscan rethink how much diplomatic, military, and economic support they give to Israel.
• The international communitycould send peacekeeping forces to Gaza to help protect lives.
• Countries like Russia, China, and Indiacan work with the Global South to increase pressure on Israel.
• Gulf nationsand Türkiye need to take a clear stand and stop staying neutral.
• Western countrieshave already called for unity to end the war, urging all nations to act together.
• Non-Western governmentscan respond by joining efforts and creating a shared plan for peace—and test if the West truly means what it says.

Conclusion

Some of us understand that what’s happening in Gaza is destroying the belief that humanity is united and equal. That’s why we must do whatever we can. While governments and big companies have more power, each person’s conscience matters. If we stay silent now, we may live with deep shame and regret later.