116, mostly women and kids, die in Hathras satsang stampede

AGRA: At least 116 people, mostly women and children, died and over 300 were left injured in a major stampede during a religious congregation (satsang) in Hathras district of UP on Tuesday. The number of fatalities was confirmed by UP chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh and director general of police (DGP) Prashant Kumar who reached the site late in the evening to take stock of the situation.The tragedy took place when religious preacher ‘Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba’ was addressing his followers at a specially erected tent in the middle of villages Fhulrai and Mughalghadi in Sikandra Rau area.
It was not immediately clear what led to the stampede, with many theories floating on possible reasons. One explanation being proffered was that hot and humid conditions at the venue led to discomfort among the attendees. Following this, people in large numbers started running out in panic, causing the stampede.
A cop on duty at the venue told TOI that “the event saw a likely gathering of over one lakh people. When the satsang ended, many people rushed to leave the venue while many others rushed in the opposite direction to touch the baba’s feet and take his blessings, thereby leading to chaos.”
UP CM Yogi Adityanath, after a high-level meeting at his residence on Tuesday evening, said: “The state govt will go in-depth to find whether it was an accident or a conspiracy. We will take the strictest action against the conspirators and those responsible for the tragedy.”
Meanwhile, inspector general (Aligarh range) Shalabh Mathur said that “only a temporary permission was granted for the gathering.”
ADG (Agra zone) Anupam Kulshreshtha added that “an FIR is being registered and the organisers of the event will be included in the case since more than the permitted number of people had come to attend the event”.
Speaking about the incident, Prakash Kumar, an attendee from Aligarh who was injured, said, “There was a large crowd at the site. There was no way out, and people fell on each other, and fainted. When I tried to move out, there were motorcycles parked outside, which blocked my way.”
However, Mahesh Chandra, a member of the committee that organised the satsang, said that the stampede happened due to the administration's “inefficiency”.
“People had fallen on the ground. Crowds were running over them and there was no one to control them,” he alleged.
The large number of casualties stretched the limits of the medical infrastructure in the area, with not enough beds to accommodate patients. “Those who were brought alive are dying due to lack of required medical infrastructure. Our hospital does not have enough oxygen to revive those who were unconscious,” said a nurse at Sikandra Rau trauma centre.
Meanwhile, PM Modi and CM Adityanath announced grants of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.