Hathras stampede occurred after Baba said 'mere charno ki dhool lo': Locals

Hathras stampede updates: As many as 121 people, mostly women, died in the stampede that occurred in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday during a satsang event organised by Saakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba

Hathras stampede reason: After Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met with the families of the Hathras Stampede victims on Friday, one of them detailed the horror of how the tragedy at the satsang unfolded after Bhole Baba asked his devotees to collect the soil touched by his feet.

As many as 121 people, mostly women, died in the stampede that occurred in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday during a satsang event organised by Saakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba, who is now missing, according to the police officials.

 

How did Hathras stampede occur?

“He (Rahul Gandhi) asked how the incident unfolded… I told him that while walking, the Baba said ‘mere charno ki dhool lo’ which led the crowd to rush towards him, resulting in the stampede,” a local woman, who lost her mother in the incident, told reporters.

#WATCH | Hathras Stampede Accident | Hathras, UP: After Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's visit, a member of a bereaved family says, "...He asked us how it all happened. I told him while walking Baba asked the devotees, 'Mere charno ki dhool lo'. After which people ran to touch his… pic.twitter.com/rtlM2mZ7C6

— ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2024

“The people started piling up on one another…we couldn’t tell who was on top of whom… when we got the news that our mother was untraceable… we launched a search and found her (body).... the bodies were covered in mud… when we were looking for her (mother), it felt like we were in a pile of corpses,” she said.

Bhole Baba blamed by the public for tragedy

Another local resident, who lost his family member in the stampede, blamed the ‘baba’ for the incident. “He (Rahul Gandhi) asked us who is the culprit. We say it is Bhole Baba,” he told the reporters.

What did the UP CM say about the Hathras stampede?

According to UP CM Yogi Adityanath, the stampede occurred as the preacher, popularly called Bhole Baba, was leaving the venue. A group of women moved towards his convoy to collect the ‘charan raj’ - the soil touched by his feet, which triggered a chain reaction among the crowd, leading to the stampede.

Officials have pointed out multiple issues with the event management, including poor administration and overcrowding, which exacerbated the situation. While the authorities had permitted the event organisers to allow 80,000 people, an unprecedented 2.5 lakh devotees of Bhole Baba turned up for the satsang.

Bhole Baba was not named in FIR in Hathras stampede

An FIR has been lodged in the matter but Bhole Baba has not been named in the complaint. The UP government has also set up a three member judicial committee to probe the incident.

Meanwhile, Bhole Baba’s lawyer earlier refuted the claims about the stampede occurring due to a rush for ‘charan raj’ - the soil touched by the Baba. The Supreme Court lawyer, AP Singh, even claimed on Wednesday that Bhole Baba never asks anyone to touch his feet.

Rahul Gandhi urges govt to increase compensation

Following his visit, Gandhi urged the government to increase the compensation for the victims and their families as they are mostly poor people. “Maximum compensation should be given as they are poor families,” Gandhi said, requesting UP CM to provide compensation “open-heartedly.”

The UP government has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the deceased persons and Rs 50,000 for the injured.