Hathras/Lucknow/New Delhi: At least 116 persons were killed and 18 injured in a stampede at a ‘satsang‘ of Godman Suraj Pal aka ‘Bhole Baba’, at Phulrai village near Mandi of Sikandrarau in Hathras today.
Preliminary reports suggest most of the deaths happened because of suffocation during the stampede.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the tragedy happened when the preacher of the Satsang was coming down from the stage after the programme. “Suddenly a crowd of devotees started going towards him to touch him and when the ‘sevadars‘ stopped them, this accident happened there,” Adityanath said. A police constable of the Quick Response Team, who was posted on duty to arrange the dead bodies died of a heart attack after seeing the dead bodies.
Dead bodies have been sent to various places for postmortem. Aligarh Inspector General of Police Shalabh Mathur assured the “best possible” treatment to the injured. He said the organisers of the event will be included in the FIR because more than the permitted number of people had come to attend the event. “Since it is a matter of investigation, a high-level enquiry has been ordered into it…,” he said.
The victims were also transported to the Sikandara Rao Trauma Centre in trucks and vehicles where bodies were placed outside the centre.
Pal, a resident of Kasganj, reportedly was earlier in the police, from where he took retirement under the Voluntary Retirement Scheme, and thereafter became a ‘Baba’, claiming that he had a vision of God. He is also known as Saakaar Vishwa Hari.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath regarding the tragic incident in Hathras. “The UP government is engaged in providing all possible help to all the victims. My condolences are with those who have lost their loved ones in this. Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured,” he posted on X.
Modi also announced ₹2 lakh ex-gratia from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of the dead and ₹50,000 for the injured.
Earlier the Prime Minister informed the Lok Sabha about the Hathras tragedy and assured all help to the victims. He said top Central Government officials were in contact with the UP administration.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s national vice president and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Laxmikant demanded a magisterial inquiry into the matter and also sought to know what were the arrangements and whether permission was given or not.
The District Magistrate of Hathras, Ashish Kumar, said the permission for the programme was granted by the Sub Divisional Magistrate and police was deployed at the venue.
The administration released phone numbers that can be contacted for any kind of information regarding dead and injured persons in the Hathras incident. Following are the telephone numbers:
Agra Zone Control-7839866849
Aligarh Range Control-7839855724
Agra Range Control-7839855724
Hathras Control-9454417377
Etah Control-9454417438
Aligarh Control-7007459568
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath vowed to punish the “conspirators” responsible for the tragedy. He also rushed three UP ministers to the spot.”To investigate this entire matter, we have formed a team under the chairmanship of the Additional Director General of Police, Agra and have asked them to give a detailed report. In view of the incident, the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police of the state are camping there. Three ministers of the state government Chaudhary Laxmi Narayan, Sandeep Singh, Asim Arun, all three of them are at the spot…,” the chief minister added.
– global bihari bureau
