It was the mad rush to collect ‘Bhole Baba’s’ feet ‘dust’ (referred as raj in local parlance), a bid to escape suffocating and extreme humid surroundings and absent-minded decision of Baba’s army to block the ‘exit’ without giving a second thought to the consequences, that led to the deadly stampede at the religious event at Hathras on Tuesday. The stampede at the religious event organised in Phulrai village of Sikanda Rau tehsil of Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district left more than 100 people, including women and children, dead and over 250 grievously injured.
People who survived the wild stampede said the incident took place at the end of the ‘Satsang’, addressed by self-styled godman Narayan Saakaar Vishwa Hari, who also calls himself ‘Bhole Baba’. He wears a suit and tie at the ‘satsangs’ and claims to have been a cop once. Eyewitnesses said the stampede occurred when people rushed after ‘Bhole Baba’ to collect his feet’s ‘raj’ (dust), a ritual at his event, and in order to escape the extremely stuffy and humid surroundings at the event.
Kanhaiya Lal, who hails from Bighpuri Mursaan, from Hathras, said his mother and niece, who attended the event, were missing. He told News18 that the entire event area was divided into two canopies – the one in which “Baba ji” was sitting, along with a few “privileged” devotees, who can afford to pay the amount to sit nearby, while the larger crowd was sitting under another canopy which was a few metres away from the religious preacher’s canopy.
“It was around 2 pm when Baba ji announced the closure of the event and was heading towards his vehicle when people from both the canopies rushed to collect ‘raj’ (dust) from Baba ji’s feet and to escape the choking, humid environment at the canopies,” said Kanhaiya Lal.
But, Baba’s private army, who are always in black attires and consider themselves no less than ‘NSG commandos’, blocked the way, in order to give a safe exit to the preacher, without giving a second thought to the consequences, recollected Kanhaiya Lal, who still hopes that his mother and niece are safe.
Rani Devi, another ‘Hathras horror’ survivor, who came all the way from Bahraich along with her relative to attend the event, said that as people ran after baba, to collect the dust and to touch his vehicle, Baba’s army, who he refers as ‘sewadaars’, blocked the way. “It was so humid, suffocating and even slippery since the area witnessed heavy rainfall a day before. Those who fell, never stood up again,” said Rani Devi, who is yet to recuperate from the shock.
Raja Ram, another survivor who hails from Lakhimpur Khiri district of UP, said that there were around 250 ‘sewadaars’ who stood like a wall before the exit point in a bid to allow Baba’s cavalcade to reach the highway, which was adjacent to the satsang’s venue. “We kept on pleading sewadaars that please allow us to go as the crowd is piling up and we are unable to breath following the high humidity levels but our plea fell on the deaf ears and they continue to say that ‘pehle baba ji jayenge, fir bhakt’ (first baba ji will go, then his followers),” said Raja Ram while narrating the sequence of the events which led to the tragedy.
What further added to the woes was the huge manhole, which was situated adjacent to the exit point. The eyewitnesses said that the crowd piled up on the exit point and due to the slippery ground, people started falling into the manhole one after the other, pushing up the numbers of casualties at the satsang.
District Magistrate Ashish Kumar stated that the Hathras stampede occurred at a private function for which permission was granted by the sub-divisional magistrate. The local administration was responsible for security outside the venue, while the organisers were in charge of arrangements inside. In response to the incident, the Uttar Pradesh government has ordered a high-level investigation. The police and forensic teams are currently examining the situation.
An FIR has been filed regarding the stampede, indicating that while permission was granted for 80,000 people, over 2,50,000 attended. The FIR claims that personal security for ‘Bhole Baba’ attempted to manage the crowd, but a ditch in the field caused chaos. Additionally, the FIR alleges that the organisers destroyed evidence and failed to assist those affected by the stampede.
The FIR, lodged under sections 105, 110, 126(2), 223, and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, names Devprakash Madhukar, also known as ‘Mukhya Sewadar,’ and other event organisers. Bhole Baba is reportedly missing, and the police are actively searching for him.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh attributed the stampede to overcrowding and a rush among people following the godman’s vehicle. Some attendees reportedly bent down to collect soil from the path walked by the godman, which led to further confusion and falls. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath left for Hathras today to assess the situation.
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