Uttar Pradesh: 116 killed in stampede at religious event in Hathras

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Around 116 people were killed in a stampede in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras on Tuesday, Aligarh Range IG Shalabh Mathur said. The stampede broke out at satsang in Pulrai village of Hathras district.

Police said people had gathered in large numbers for the event. The stampede apparently occurred due to overcrowding, Sikandara Rao police station SHO Ashish Kumar said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the stampede. He instructed officials to reach the accident site and carry out relief measures.

He also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh ex gratia for the families of the dead and Rs 50,000 each for the injured. The Uttar Pradesh government said an FIR will be registered against the organisers of the programme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed profound sorrow over the stampede in Hathras and announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for the next of kin of the dead and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

 
All these are very poorly
managed in UP. Haridwar also used to have these issues things are getting a little better but still far from being safe.
 
Insane , another Godman , so brutal the incident, faith without education leads to so many issues.

Hope he gets jailed for this but Imm certain someone else will tske the fall.

The videos are brutal.
Going to holy places was nice when the population was a lot less centuries ago. Now every time you go to a holy place during festival season, it is jam packed.
They say God is everywhere. So going to these holy places and shrines never made sense to me. I know I am in minority on this view.
 
Going to holy places was nice when the population was a lot less centuries ago. Now every time you go to a holy place during festival season, it is jam packed.
They say God is everywhere. So going to these holy places and shrines never made sense to me. I know I am in minority on this view.
This wasn’t a shrine or holy place it was a satsang which had permission for only 50 ppl but so many came, and so many came to see this guy who used to be an inspector but became a “baba”.

Holy places like Vaishno Devi, Tirupathy have devotees year round but such stuff doesn’t happen.
 
Insane , another Godman , so brutal the incident, faith without education leads to so many issues.

Hope he gets jailed for this but Imm certain someone else will tske the fall.

The videos are brutal.
Nothing to do with faith or education. It is a crowd management issue. Happens everywhere where the crowd grows beyond manageable capacity. Happens at discos, football matches and festivals.
 
This wasn’t a shrine or holy place it was a satsang which had permission for only 50 ppl but so many came, and so many came to see this guy who used to be an inspector but became a “baba”.

Holy places like Vaishno Devi, Tirupathy have devotees year round but such stuff doesn’t happen.
Even worse to see some local dhongi baba. People are mental.
What can a baba do that god cannot do? Smh!!
 
Nothing to do with faith or education. It is a crowd management issue. Happens everywhere where the crowd grows beyond manageable capacity. Happens at discos, football matches and festivals.
It has to do with education, an educated person will be aware on where to spend his energy and faith he might be selfish but atleast he will prioritise self preservation.
 
It has to do with education, an educated person will be aware on where to spend his energy and faith he might be selfish but atleast he will prioritise self preservation.
No, educated people don't think logically till they are within the bounds of their work. Critical thinking is rare for educated people. So many educated indians believe world cup win depends on who is the current PM. They add cause and effect relations to anything and everything.

Education only makes them qualified for certain kinds of jobs. It doesn't make them logical thinkers.

Stampedes have happened among educated crowds as well. You somehow think that the victims being from poor and less privileged background had to do something with their end.
 
No, educated people don't think logically till they are within the bounds of their work. Critical thinking is rare for educated people. So many educated indians believe world cup win depends on who is the current PM. They add cause and effect relations to anything and everything.

Education only makes them qualified for certain kinds of jobs. It doesn't make them logical thinkers.

Stampedes have happened among educated crowds as well. You somehow think that the victims being from poor and less privileged background had to do something with their end.
Their ability to not comprehend danger being one.
An educated person would back out after seeing the crowd unmanaged in the heat and won’t let blind faith dictate his rationalism.
 
It was an unfortunate event and tragic to hear about the death of so many people. It was more of a case of people being impatient and poor crowd management.
 
Grief and anger after India crush kills 121

A day after 121 people were crushed to death at a religious event in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, families of some of the victims are still searching for their loved ones.

The incident took place during a satsang (a Hindu religious festival) organised by a self-styled preacher called Bhole Baba.

Police said that massive overcrowding at the venue in Hathras district led to Tuesday's crush - they have registered a case against the event's main organisers.

It's one of the worst such tragedies for many years in India, where accidents involving large crowds are often blamed on lax safety measures and crowd management.

On Wednesday, a large number of policemen were present as politicians visited the site to find out how the tragedy unfolded.

Dozens of workers were busy removing the sprawling tent from the event venue, about 500 metres from the main road. Two colourful arches bearing the name and photograph of the self-styled guru stood at the entrance and exit.

Early morning rain had drenched the place and large pools of water made it difficult to walk around.

The organisers had laid a brick path, leading to the main stage. It was strewn with clothes and shoes of victims - a painful reminder of the many lives lost.

Officials said most of the dead and injured were women.

Yogesh Yadav, who lives in the neighbourhood, was one of the first to rush to the site.

“After the prayer meeting was over, Bhole Baba was leaving. Hundreds of women ran after his car to pick up the soil underneath the tyres of the vehicle as a way of seeking his blessing,” he told the BBC.

“Some crossed the highway to get a better glimpse of his car. In the melee, many women fell in the drain adjacent to the highway. People started falling on top of each other,” Mr Yadav said.

According to the first information report (FIR) lodged by the police, authorities had given permission for 80,000 people to gather for the event. But around 250,000 people turned up to attend it.

Eyewitnesses told the BBC that there wasn't enough security to manage such a huge crowd.

At the main hospital in the nearby city of Aligarh, we saw dozens of people waiting to receive the bodies of their loved ones.

One man said he had come to look for his aunt who had been missing since Tuesday afternoon.

Hridesh Kumar was sitting outside the mortuary and wailing unconsolably.

“My wife Sarva Devi came with our two children to the prayer meeting with some of our relatives. My uncle and children were not injured. But my wife was killed in the crush," he said.

"How will I look after my children without her? My whole life has turned upside down."

Not much is known about the preacher, but locals said he was hugely popular in the district.

As we drove to the site of the accident, we saw several posters and billboards of him on both sides of the road.

Police say he runs an organisation called the Ram Kutir Charitable Trust, which was also the main organiser of Tuesday's event.

Accidents are routinely reported at religious events in India, as huge crowds gather in small spaces with little to no safety measures.

In 2018, around 60 people were killed after a train rammed into a crowd watching celebrations for Dusshera, a Hindu festival.

In 2013, a crush at a Hindu festival in the central state of Madhya Pradesh had killed 115 people.

BBC
 
India preacher denies blame for crush deaths

The preacher who led an overcrowded gathering in India where more than 120 people were crushed to death on Tuesday has denied blame, and pledged to co-operate with the police investigation.

A lawyer for the self-styled guru known as Bhole Baba told the BBC the crush occurred "due to some anti-social elements", and blamed a "criminal conspiracy hatched against" his client.

Bhole Baba - whose real name is Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari - will fully co-operate with the investigation, his lawyer AP Singh said.

Nearly all those killed were women and children, who were attending the satsang - a Hindu religious festival - in Hathras district.

It has sparked outrage in India and questions about a lack of security measures.

Mr Singh also denied reports that security guards at the festival triggered panic by pushing away people who tried to get Bhole Baba's blessing.

“Totally false allegation," Mr Singh told the BBC. "Security staff always provide help to the followers.”

This is one of the worst crushes to happen in India for years.

Shocking images from the aftermath of the disaster have circulated online, of people driving the wounded to hospital in pick-up trucks, tuk tuks and even on motorbikes.

What happened?

The crush took place in Pulrai village, where Bhole Baba was holding a religious gathering.

An initial police report said that officials had given permission for 80,000 people to gather, but some 250,000 people turned up to the event.

The report says the chaos began as the preacher drove off. Eyewitnesses said people lost their footing and started falling on top of each other as hundreds rushed towards the preacher as he was leaving the venue.

As people ran after his vehicle, survivors said a number of those sitting and squatting on the ground got crushed.

One of the first on the scene, local resident Yogesh Yadav, told the BBC that hundreds of women ran after Bhole Baba's car as he was leaving.

“Some crossed the highway to get a better glimpse of his car. In the melee, many women fell in the drain adjacent to the highway. People started falling on top of each other,” Mr Yadav said.

The police document added that some people tried to cross the road to a patch of mud-soaked fields, but were forcibly stopped by the organisers and were crushed.

Bhole Baba was originally named Suraj Pal, but he reportedly re-christened himself as Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari.

One senior police officer in Uttar Pradesh told BBC Hindi that the preacher had been a police constable, but was suspended from service after a criminal case was lodged against him.

He was reinstated in the force after a court cleared him but left his job in 2002, the senior officer said.

The preacher has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers in Hathras and neighbouring districts.

Bhole Baba is known to have an ashram in Mainpuri, about 100km (62 miles) from Pulrai village.

His lawyer told the BBC his client is now at his ashram. The preacher has not been named in the initial police complaint.

BBC
 
'Satsang' Organisers Among 6 Arrested, 'Bhole Baba' Questioning "If Needed"

Six people, including some of the organisers, have been arrested in a 'satsang' or prayer meeting that ended in a deadly stampede in Uttar Pradesh.

A former police constable-turned-preacher Bhole Baba's prayer meeting in Hathras, some 200 km from Delhi, saw the deaths of 121 people, the vast majority women, after a rush to the exits among the 2,50,000 devotees who came to watch him preach.

Officials initially blamed a dust storm for sparking panic, while police later said the stampede began when "followers started to collect earth" from the ground where the preacher had passed.


"All six persons who have been arrested worked as 'sevadars' (volunteers) at the 'satsang'," Inspector General of Police (Aligarh Range) Shalabh Mathur told reporters.

"A reward of ₹ 1 lakh will be announced soon and non-bailable warrant (NBW) will also be issued against key accused Devprakash Madhukar," he added.

The self-styled godman, in his early 60s, has not been seen in public since the incident. He issued a statement on Wednesday declaring he will take legal action against "anti-social elements" that allegedly engineered the horrific chaos.

The cop clarified that the 'godman' has not been questioned yet.

"We will make arrests based on what the investigation reveals... We will question the baba if necessary, it is too early to say or comment whether he has a role. He has not been named in the FIR, which has held the organisers responsible. The permission was taken by the organising committee and members of the panel have been arrested," the cop further said.

Originally Suraj Pal Singh, he later changed his name to Narayan Sakar Hari or "Bhole Baba". He has expressed "deepest condolences to the families of the deceased".

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who visited the accident site on Wednesday and met the injured, was asked why the preacher was not named in the FIR as an accused.

"Prima facie, the case has been filed against those who applied for permission for the event. Whoever is responsible for this will come under its purview," said the Chief Minister.

The bodies of all victims of the Hathras stampede have been identified and handed over to their families, District Magistrate Ashish Kumar said today.

"The last body was identified by the family over a video call. They are on their way to Aligarh hospital (to get the body)," the district magistrate added.

The Uttar Pradesh government has announced a monetary relief of ₹ 2 lakh to the family members of the dead and ₹ 50,000 for those injured.

 
Hope he gets jailed for this but Imm certain someone else will tske the fall.
That dhongi baba wasn't even named in the FIR. That should tell you everything you need to know.

Also, this fake baba is an ex cop, has already been arrested previously for some other crime in the past. Here was what he claimed,

Hathras stampede: ‘Bhole Baba’ claimed he could revive dead, was arrested in 2000; toll at 121​


Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari or ‘Bhole Baba’, the local preacher who addressed the ‘satsang’ in Hathras where the stampede occurred on Tuesday — the toll rose to 121 on Wednesday — is revered by his followers who believe he’s a “healer” with “cures”, an “exorcist” who “gets rid of evil spirits”, and a “godman” with “magical powers” who can grant their wishes.

In fact, his alleged claim of “magical powers” even got him arrested in Agra in 2000, when he allegedly took the body of a 16-year-old girl forcibly from her family, claiming he would bring her back to life. The case was later closed.

Over more than two decades now, after leaving the Uttar Pradesh Police in the 1990s where he was Constable Suraj Pal from Kasganj, to become a self-styled religious preacher, he has gathered a considerable following — mostly low-income Dalit families, where the men are employed as labourers, masons, agricultural labourers, safai karmacharis, carpenters or carpet-sellers, many of whom were witness to his rising popularity.

 
This was what bisht had to say when asked why that fake baba was not named in the FIR,

During a press briefing on Wednesday, Adityanath did not rule out the possibility of a conspiracy in the incident. When asked about why the preacher of the satsang – Saakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba – was not named in the FIR, Adityanath said that the case has been filed against the people who sought permission to organise the event.

 
Rahul Gandhi, Rae Bareli MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Friday urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to provide "maximum compensation" to the victims of the Hathras tragedy without any delay

He said that the compensation should be disbursed at the earliest as most of them are poor.

2024 Hathras stampede: FIR says organisers hid evidence after the incident, 'Bhole Baba' absconding. Top points to know
"They are poor people and they need it (compensation) now. If you give them after 6 months, after a year or delay it, then it will not benefit anyone. Compensation should be given as soon as possible," he said.

Gandhi went to meet the families of those who died in the stampede at self-styled godman Bhole Baba's satsang in Hathras. He also said that while he does not want to give the matter overtly political tunes, there were lapses on the part of the administration in the incident which claimed the lives of 121 people.

"I don't want to speak from a political prism, but there have been some lapses on part of the administration. There have been mistakes, which should be identified,' Gandhi told reporters after meeting the victims' families.

He added that he had a "personal" interaction with the family members of the stampede victims.

"They said that there was a lapse on the part of the administration. They said that the police arrangement that should have been made was not there. But they are grieving and are in shock. I am trying to understand their situation," Gandhi said.

Hari Mohan, one of the many victims who met the Congress leader today, said that Rahul Gandhi assured them that he would make an effort to get the amount of compensation increased.

Before coming to Hathras, Rahul Gandhi stopped at Aligarh to meet the victims. He reached Pilakhna village in Aligarh at 7.15 am and reached Vibhav Nagar colony's Green Park in Hathras at 9 am.

"He spoke to us and tried to understand our issues. He said he would raise the issue in Parliament so that such incidents do not happen in the future," a resident of Aligarh said.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday formed a 3-member judicial panel headed by a retired high court judge to prove the Hathras tragedy. The panel has also been tasked to look into the possibility of whether there could have been a "conspiracy" behind the stampede.

Source: Business Time
 
Rahul Gandhi, Rae Bareli MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Friday urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to provide "maximum compensation" to the victims of the Hathras tragedy without any delay

He said that the compensation should be disbursed at the earliest as most of them are poor.

2024 Hathras stampede: FIR says organisers hid evidence after the incident, 'Bhole Baba' absconding. Top points to know
"They are poor people and they need it (compensation) now. If you give them after 6 months, after a year or delay it, then it will not benefit anyone. Compensation should be given as soon as possible," he said.

Gandhi went to meet the families of those who died in the stampede at self-styled godman Bhole Baba's satsang in Hathras. He also said that while he does not want to give the matter overtly political tunes, there were lapses on the part of the administration in the incident which claimed the lives of 121 people.

"I don't want to speak from a political prism, but there have been some lapses on part of the administration. There have been mistakes, which should be identified,' Gandhi told reporters after meeting the victims' families.

He added that he had a "personal" interaction with the family members of the stampede victims.

"They said that there was a lapse on the part of the administration. They said that the police arrangement that should have been made was not there. But they are grieving and are in shock. I am trying to understand their situation," Gandhi said.

Hari Mohan, one of the many victims who met the Congress leader today, said that Rahul Gandhi assured them that he would make an effort to get the amount of compensation increased.

Before coming to Hathras, Rahul Gandhi stopped at Aligarh to meet the victims. He reached Pilakhna village in Aligarh at 7.15 am and reached Vibhav Nagar colony's Green Park in Hathras at 9 am.

"He spoke to us and tried to understand our issues. He said he would raise the issue in Parliament so that such incidents do not happen in the future," a resident of Aligarh said.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday formed a 3-member judicial panel headed by a retired high court judge to prove the Hathras tragedy. The panel has also been tasked to look into the possibility of whether there could have been a "conspiracy" behind the stampede.

Source: Business Time
These Godmen are simply too powerful to prosecute. Nothing will happen.
Different day, different Godman, same crap!
 
India stampede: main organiser of religious event surrenders to police

The chief organiser of an Indian preacher's event where a stampede killed 121 people this week surrendered to police on Friday, a lawyer for the preacher said, after police had launched a manhunt.

Devprakash Madhukar was named a key suspect in an initial report registered by police under charges including attempted culpable homicide. Police had announced a reward of 100,000 rupees ($1,200) for information leading to his arrest.

A.P. Singh, lawyer for self-styled godman Bhole Baba, said Madhukar was the main organiser of the Hindu religious event on Tuesday attended by about 250,000 people in a village in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. District authorities had permitted an event of only 80,000 people.

"He has surrendered from Delhi. We are not seeking an anticipatory bail," Singh told reporters. He denied any wrongdoing by the event's organisers and said Devprakash was getting medical treatment in a hospital after the stampede.

The preacher said on Saturday he was saddened by the incident and his aides would help the injured and families of the deceased.

"I have faith that anyone who created the chaos will not be spared," he told Indian news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake.

REUTERS
 
Hathras stampede main accused Devprakash Madhukar sent to 14-day judicialcustody: Court official

PTI
 
Rahul Gandhi, Rae Bareli MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Friday urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to provide "maximum compensation" to the victims of the Hathras tragedy without any delay

He said that the compensation should be disbursed at the earliest as most of them are poor.

2024 Hathras stampede: FIR says organisers hid evidence after the incident, 'Bhole Baba' absconding. Top points to know
"They are poor people and they need it (compensation) now. If you give them after 6 months, after a year or delay it, then it will not benefit anyone. Compensation should be given as soon as possible," he said.

Gandhi went to meet the families of those who died in the stampede at self-styled godman Bhole Baba's satsang in Hathras. He also said that while he does not want to give the matter overtly political tunes, there were lapses on the part of the administration in the incident which claimed the lives of 121 people.

"I don't want to speak from a political prism, but there have been some lapses on part of the administration. There have been mistakes, which should be identified,' Gandhi told reporters after meeting the victims' families.

He added that he had a "personal" interaction with the family members of the stampede victims.

"They said that there was a lapse on the part of the administration. They said that the police arrangement that should have been made was not there. But they are grieving and are in shock. I am trying to understand their situation," Gandhi said.

Hari Mohan, one of the many victims who met the Congress leader today, said that Rahul Gandhi assured them that he would make an effort to get the amount of compensation increased.

Before coming to Hathras, Rahul Gandhi stopped at Aligarh to meet the victims. He reached Pilakhna village in Aligarh at 7.15 am and reached Vibhav Nagar colony's Green Park in Hathras at 9 am.

"He spoke to us and tried to understand our issues. He said he would raise the issue in Parliament so that such incidents do not happen in the future," a resident of Aligarh said.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday formed a 3-member judicial panel headed by a retired high court judge to prove the Hathras tragedy. The panel has also been tasked to look into the possibility of whether there could have been a "conspiracy" behind the stampede.

Source: Business Time
Why should Government provide compensation for the dead? It's not a bridge collapse that Government is responsible for.

If Rahul baba cares so much, he should give them money from his account or do fundraisers for the cause.

Typical socialist Gandhi thinking.
 
Man this is so tragic. These fake dhongi babas ahould be arrested and prosecuted. And the gullible masses! Cant believe they were attending a criminals event whho was masquerading as a fake baba. These fake babas are the scourge of society. Wish people stopped falling for their fake antics..
 
Man this is so tragic. These fake dhongi babas ahould be arrested and prosecuted. And the gullible masses! Cant believe they were attending a criminals event whho was masquerading as a fake baba. These fake babas are the scourge of society. Wish people stopped falling for their fake antics..
They exist in every religion. There are enough suffering people who believe that these God men or religious scholars have some special powers that can solve their problems.

Faith kills the analytical and thinking part of the brain.
 
'No-one can change fate': India preacher on deadly crush

An Indian preacher who led an overcrowded gathering in which 121 people were crushed to death has said he was "deeply disturbed" by the tragedy but that no-one could change destiny.

Bhole Baba's comments to local journalists weeks after the crush in Hathras district in Uttar Pradesh state have caused outrage in India.

"Who can change the inevitable? Everyone who enters this world has to leave one day. Only the time is uncertain," he said.

The crush took place in early July at a satsang - a Hindu religious gathering. Most of the victims were women.

The police have arrested some of the organisers of the event, including a man they claim is a key aide of the preacher. But Bhole Baba, a self-styled godman, has not been named in the police case or questioned yet.

He has also not been blamed in a report submitted by a special investigation team to the Uttar Pradesh government - the report holds the event organisers responsible and points out negligence by the police and local administration.

Authorities said they had given permission for 80,000 people to gather but around 250,000 people attended the event. The police report said the crush took place when chaos broke out after a crowd rushed to gather dust touched by Bhole Baba's feet as he was leaving.

But while speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the preacher denied this and repeated unproven allegations made by his lawyer that a "poisonous gas had been sprayed at the gathering" and that there was a "conspiracy to tarnish" his reputation.

The preacher's lawyer had told the BBC earlier that allegations about his client being responsible for the tragedy were "false" and that the crush occurred "due to some anti-social elements".

However, families of the people who died in the crush have blamed the preacher and demanded his arrest.

Many social media users have also expressed anger over his recent comments, with some calling for his arrest.

"Bhole Baba might be right in a way, but who caused the death," one user asked on X (formerly Twitter).

Another user pointed out that the police hadn't registered a case against the guru nor had questioned him about the incident.

"100% scot-free. Will likely do another satsang soon," another user said.

Bhole Baba's original name is Suraj Pal but he reportedly re-christened himself Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari.

Details about his life are sketchy but he is believed to have been a former constable in the Uttar Pradesh police force who transformed himself into a religious preacher after leaving his job.

He has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers in Hathras and neighbouring districts. But his life and assets have come under scrutiny after the crush.

BBC
 
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