Sad story of Pilgrims Losing Lives

April 13, 2026

Abhishek Vij

Income generated from the tourism sector continues to play a significant role in India’s Gross Domestic Income. At a time when earnings from the construction, manufacturing, and agriculture sectors are not showing substantial growth, the country’s tourism and service sectors stand out as two areas where rising revenues are helping to sustain the Gross Domestic Income—and consequently, the growth rate—at elevated levels. However, two unfortunate incidents have recently occurred within the realm of religious tourism, casting a shadow of doubt over the revenue generated by this sector. The first tragedy involved a group of tourists from Punjab in Vrindavan. While crossing the Yamuna River en route to the Banke Bihari Temple, the boat carrying the devotees collided with a bridge currently under construction.

Although the boat had a seating capacity of 15 individuals, it was overloaded with 25 to 27 passengers. Furthermore, not a single person on board was provided with a life jacket. The boat capsized in the middle of the river.

All the passengers began to drown in the river. Tragically, 11 people lost their lives in the incident. The injured were pulled to safety, while a search operation continued for four missing individuals. The boatman fled the scene immediately after the accident but was subsequently arrested.

The pertinent questions that arise are: Why were passengers allowed on the boat in excess of its capacity, and why were they not provided with life jackets? Driven by the greed to earn extra money, the boat owner had knowingly taken on board a number of passengers far exceeding the vessel’s safe limit. Had the pilgrims been equipped with life jackets, their lives would likely have been saved. Furthermore, the driver’s negligence was also a contributing factor, as he obstinately insisted on taking a route where a bridge was under construction. The pilgrims, who had set out on a pilgrimage, tragically lost their lives in this accident due to such carelessness. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann expressed deep grief over the accident and personally visited Jagraon to convey his condolences to the families of the deceased. He attended the final rites to pay homage to the victims and announced the construction of a memorial in their honor.

Another accident occurred in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. On Friday, a tractor-trolley heavily laden with pilgrims from Punjab overturned and plunged into a gorge approximately 100 feet deep. In this accident, three pilgrims lost their lives, while 32 sustained serious injuries. Of these, 13 pilgrims are currently undergoing treatment at hospitals in Tanda and Dehra. This accident took place in the Dhaliyara area of Kangra while the group was traveling from Chintpurni to Jwalaji. The tractor-trolley was carrying passengers far beyond its permissible capacity; consequently, it skidded off the road and fell into the gorge. In both of these tragic incidents, it was evident that the accidents were caused by overloading vehicles with passengers beyond safety limits, combined with the recklessness of the drivers. As long as the habit of negligence—driven by the greed to extract excessive revenue from the massive crowds of pilgrims flocking to holy sites—persists, the lives of devotees will continue to be trifled with in such tragic and perilous accidents.The enthusiasm of travelers could be dampened by these crises arising within the realm of religious tourism. It must be remembered that accidents do not occur solely due to vehicles carrying passengers beyond their prescribed capacity.

Alarmingly, there is also a significant population of stray animals along the Jwalaji route. Instead of actively managing this situation, the administration limits its efforts merely to issuing advisories stating: “There are stray animals on the roads; please drive with caution.”On one hand, everyone desires to see an increase in national revenue through religious tourism and wishes for a continued influx of domestic and international tourists to the country’s holy sites; yet, on the other hand, the foremost priority must be to rectify safety protocols to prevent accidents. The lives of travelers must not be put at risk.