An unmanageably large crowd, race to touch 'Bhole Baba's' aka 'Parmatma's' feet and collect soil from his exit path on the slippery mud ground due to an overflowing drain nearby seemingly led to the stampede tragedy on Tuesday in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, which claimed the lives of 121 people, most of whom were women.
The FIR in the case said that the people who attended the satsang rushed to collect the soil on which the self-proclaimed godman exited from the event.
Tens of thousands of devotees had gathered in the Hathras district’s Phulrai village on Tuesday for the ‘satsang’, conducted by Baba Narayan Hari who is also known as 'Saakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba'.
The stampede, as per witnesses, occurred after the 'satsang' had ended and when the preacher was exiting the venue, prompting people to race to touch his feet.
Hathras Stampede | Key Facts
121 Dead In Hathras 'Satsang' Stampede: A stampede at the 'satsang' (religious congregation) on Tuesday killed 121 people, most of them women, 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 ‘satsang’ ended and, as per some witnesses, people slipped in the slush as they ran after the preacher’s car, triggering the stampede. Clips before the stampede showed people in a large ‘shamiana’, listening to 'Bhole Baba; as he sat before them on a throne-like chair.
Hathras Stampede | Who Is 'Bhole Baba': The stampede took place at the 'satsang of Baba Narayan Hari alias Saakar Vishwa Hari 'Bhole Baba', a former policeman who turned into a religious preacher two decades ago and gained a following, especially in western Uttar Pradesh. The real name of Bhole Baba is Surajpal. He is a native of Bahadur Nagar in Kasganj district, a retired IPS officer said. Circle Officer (CO) of Patiyali Vijay Kumar Rana told PTI that Surjpal left his job as a policeman in the late 1990s and turned to spirituality. He started conducting 'satsang' (religious sermons).
More About 'Bhole Baba': One of Surajpal's three brothers died and he set up a Trust and appointed a caretaker for his property in Bahadurgarh where his ashram is located, news agency PTI quoted the CO as saying. The preacher has no children and takes his wife along with him to 'satsang'. Surajpal belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community. After he established his ashram in Bahadur Nagar, his fame grew rapidly among the poor and deprived sections and lakhs of people became his followers, according to locals. A follower from Hathras said, "Baba conducts sermons and keeps his own volunteers for security who take care of the arrangements of his satsang."
READ MORE: Who Is Bhole Baba And What Led To The Stampede At His Satsang In Hathras | Details
Race To Touch Baba's Feet Led To Stampede: Multiple witness accounts seemed to suggest that a mad rush to touch the preacher's feet while he was exiting the venue after conducting the 'satsang' led to the stampede as people fell in the slippery mud caused by an overflowing drain nearby. Sonu Kumar, a witness, said thousands were at the venue and when they were returning after seeing off the 'baba', they slipped and fell over one another as parts of the ground had turned boggy with water overflowing from the nearby drain. Santosh, who went to Hathras from Firozabad to attend the 'satsang', told reporters, "I went to Satsang with my sister. Hari ji came at around 12 pm. It concluded at 1.30 pm. I took prasad in the pandal with my sister...when we came out, we saw that everyone ran for darshan, and there was a drain nearby, and some people fell in it."
2.5 Lakh Gathered At Hathras Satsang: According to the chief secretary, the application letter seeking permission for the event put the number of expected participants at 80,000 but "it was much more than that". The Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday lodged an FIR against the organisers of the religious congregation in Hathras where 121 people died in a stampede, accusing them of hiding evidence and flouting conditions with 2.5 lakh people gathering for the event in which only 80,000 were permitted.
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What FIR Said: The FIR alleged that the organisers hid the actual number of devotees coming to the 'satsang' while seeking permission, did not cooperate in traffic management and hid evidence after the stampede, which broke out after people gathered there stopped to collect mud from the way the baba's vehicle was passing. The FIR apparently gave a clean chit to the police and administration, saying they did whatever possible from the available resources. 'Mukhya sevadar' Devprakash Madhukar and other organisers have been named in the first information report (FIR) filed at the Sikandara Rao police station late Tuesday, a senior officer told PTI.
FIR Filed, Hunt On For 'Bhole Baba': Security personnel were seen at 'Bhole Baba's' Ram Kutir Charitable Trust in Mainpuri district. A search operation was underway for 'Bhole Baba'. Meanwhile, an FIR registered for culpable homicide (sections 105, 110), Wrongful restraint (section 126[2]), disobedience to order (Section 223) and disappearance of evidence of offence (Section 238) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, against one Devprakash Madhukar referred to as 'Mukhya Sewadar' and other organisers of the religious event where the stampede occurred.
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