The death toll in the stampede at a religious congregation in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday has mounted to 116, including several women and children, officials said.
Videos showed bodies being piled up at the venue. Purses and bags covered in dust, were heaped up, with people sitting on their haunches sifting through them to identify their belongings. Mobile phones were similarly piled together, waiting to be claimed by their owners.
Aligarh Range IG Shalabh Mathur told media: "So far, 116 deaths have been confirmed. Twenty-seven bodies are at a mortuary in Etah, while the rest are in Hathras. The bodies are being sent for post-mortem to different hospitals. The administration is working hard to ensure that the injured get the best possible treatment. An FIR has been registered and the names of the organisers of the event will be added to it. It appears prima facie that there were more people than the permissible limit at the 'satsang'."
The 'satsang' of Lord Shiva, organised by the Manav Mangal Milan Sadbhavna Samagam Committee, was being held in Ratibhanpur where a huge crowd had gathered to listen to religious preacher Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba.
As per local sources, the stampede occurred as the event concluded when some people tried to move out of the pandal amid the humid conditions while others tried to push them back, leading to confusion and chaos.
The sources added that the servitors of Bhole Baba reportedly stopped people from leaving the venue amid the heat and humidity, so that the preacher and his retinue could leave first.
Reacting to the tragic incident, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav slammed the state government for not taking enough safety measures for the religious congregation.
"We were inside the Parliament when we got information about the tragic incident. How can so many people die? What was the state government doing? If such a huge gathering was planned, the government should have made proper arrangements right from the start of the event. The state government is responsible for this and should now help the families of the victims and take care of the injured," Akhilesh Yadav said after coming out of the Parliament.
According to locals, Suraj Pal, or Bhole Baba, as he is called by his followers, hails from Bahadur Nagar in the Patiyali area of Kasganj district. He left his job in the state police 17 years ago to become a preacher.
He courted controversy during the Covid pandemic period when he sought permission for a satsang in Farrukhabad district in May 2022 to be attended by only 50 people. However, the congregation grew to over 50,000, causing a major headache for the local administration.
Purses and bags covered in dust, were heaped up at the venue, with people sitting on their haunches sifting through them to identify their belongings. Mobile phones were similarly piled together, waiting to be claimed by their owners.
