Hathras stampede: A stampede at a religious congregation in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras killed 116 people on Tuesday as devotees suffocated to their deaths and bodies piled atop each other in the worst such tragedy in recent years. The stampede took place as the devotees – most of them women -- headed home after a ‘satsang’ in the Hathras district’s Phulrai village, conducted by Baba Narayan Hari who is also known as "Saakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba". Some accounts said some people slipped in the slush, triggering the stampede.
Hathras stampede: What went wrong?
However, BJP MLA Asim Arun, who was among the ministers whom UP CM Yogi Adityanath sent to the incident site, claimed that the tragedy occurred more than the permitted number of people were present at the event being organised. Besides, he pointed people, especially women rushed to seek the blessings of the saint who presided over the event, resulting in a chaotic situation. "More than the permitted number of people were present at the event being organised. The stampede occurred when people, especially women rushed to seek blessings of the saint who presided over the event," said the UP minister.
According to Arun, the chief minister has directed the officials to investigate the incident and ordered the strict punishment of those responsible for the incident. "It is a matter of investigating what went wrong... The accused will be punished and we will ensure no such incident happens again... CM Yogi Adityanath will come here tomorrow and take cognisance of the situation," he added.
READ: Hathras stampede kills over 110: List of major stampedes during religious gatherings in India
Dead bodies carried on tempos, trucks
UP chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh put the death toll at 116. Baring seven children and a man, the dead are all women. Singh said 72 have been identified so far. Victims, dead or unconscious, were brought to the Sikandara Rau Trauma Centre in trucks and ‘tempos’. The bodies lay scattered outside this Hathras health centre as people milled around them.
A video clip showed a woman crying as she sat in a truck, amid five or six bodies. Another showed a man and a woman lifeless in another vehicle. Clips before the stampede showed people in a large ‘shamiana’, listening to Bhole Baba. The 'baba' sat before them on a throne-like chair. The preacher was a policeman in the 1990s when he left the force, and started holding satsangs, according to one account. Politicians are said to be among his devotees.
SDM had granted permission for 'satsang' in Hathras
District Magistrate Ashish Kumar said the 'satsang' was a private event for which the sub-divisional magistrate had granted permission. The local administration provided security outside the venue while the arrangements inside were made by organisers, he added.
According to Additional Director General of Police (Agra Zone) Anupam Kulshrestha, 40 personnel were deployed at the venue. Eyewitness Shakuntala Devi told PTI Videos that the stampede took place while people were leaving the venue. People fell atop each other, she said, and then the bodies were pulled out.
According to Sikandra Rau sub-divisional magistrate Ravendra Kumar, the stampede took place when devotees tried to get a glimpse of Bhole Baba as the event ended. They also wanted to collect some soil from around the baba’s feet, he told PTI. Satsang participant Sonu Kumar blamed the slippery ground for the stampede. “When Guru ji left the place after almost one and half hours, all of a sudden devotees ran behind him to touch his feet,” he said. When they turned back, some slipped. Sikandra Rau police station SHO Ashish Kumar blamed “overcrowding” at the ‘satsang’.
Another eyewitness, who left the place before the end of the ‘satsang’ said the arrangements were not adequate, given the number of devotees.
(With inputs from agencies)
