Dozens of worried Indian relatives took to the social media on Sunday, seeking information of loved ones who left home to perform Haj in Mecca but remain untraced after the terrible stampede of September 24.
The buzz on the “hajmission” page of Facebook and on individual pages became heavy after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj herself flashed the official Facebook link on Haj on her Twitter account, where she revealed that the latest number of the dead Indian pilgrims in this year's tragedy has risen to 35. In the meanwhile, the Saudi authorities have released photographs of 1,090 pilgrims who perished in the stampede.
>Read: A glance at major haj-related incidents in Saudi Arabia
As the Saudi authorities posted photographs of 1,090 pilgrims informing the world of the enormity of the tragedy, the early apprehensions about the vast magnitude of this incident have been confirmed. Initially the number of the dead from the stampede was pegged at 717. Experts and diplomats with experience at handling Indian participation of Haj pilgrimage are suggesting that perhaps the stampede of September 24 is Haj's second biggest killer-stampede after the stampede of 1990 which claimed more than 1,400 lives.
Low Indian death toll However, diplomats are suggesting that the Indian death toll in this year's tragedy is relatively low in comparison to other countries as India has been carrying out intense safety drills in Mecca to direct the Indian pilgrims efficiently.
“Diplomats from the Ministry of External Affairs have been studying the stampede of the last three decades and therefore have limited the number of Indian Haj pilgrims. We are also very strict with pilgrims and instruct them clearly that they should make a distinction between the “recommended” and the “necessary” injunctions for Haj rituals because sometimes pilgrims mistake the recommended rituals to be necessary and in the process hurt themselves. We usually tell the Indian pilgrims that while they should ideally participate in the last ritual of stoning the Satan before noon, they can also opt for the second slot before evening and thereby prevent the entire group from flowing during one slot,” said Amb. (Retired) Talmiz Ahmad who served as India's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and had personally conducted the Indian pilgrims for the Haj exercise.
