Hathras/Eta. At least 116 people were killed in a stampede at a satsang in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district's Secunder Rao area on Tuesday. There was a stampede due to competition between followers for darshan of the preacher Bhole Baba and the ground being muddy and slippery. After the Satsang, as Baba's convoy moved forward, bodies kept falling behind his vehicle.
A woman who had come from Jaipur with her family to attend the satsang, said at Etta's post-mortem house that people suddenly started pouring out after the satsang was over, leading to a stampede. Another eyewitness said, 'We left before the Sadbhavana program ended. The program started at around 11.30 am. This incident happened due to pushing. According to people on the spot, the arrangements there were inadequate.
Eyewitness Sonu Kumar said, 'Water tanks and rainwater had filled nearby drains, making the surface slippery. When Guruji left the place after about an hour and a half, devotees suddenly ran after him to touch his feet. As his car passed by, devotees were seen prostrate on the ground. When the people came back, they suddenly fell on each other because of the slippage.
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He said there was a crowd of at least 10,000 people. An elderly Kailash who came to Etah's post-mortem house said that a large number of devotees attended the Satsang of 'Sakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba' today and the road was muddy on the way back after the Aarti. To avoid which people fell there. He said that people fell on each other and meanwhile the crowd coming from behind rushed forward crushing the fallen people. A large number of people were killed and a large number of people were also injured.
According to Sikandrao Deputy District Magistrate (SDM) Ravinder Kumar, 'The stampede took place when devotees were trying to catch a glimpse of preacher Bhole Baba at the end of the satsang. They also wanted to collect dirt from around Baba's feet.
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Inspector Ashish Kumar, in-charge of Sikanderrao police station, blamed overcrowding at preacher Bhole Baba's satsang for the accident. Agra Zone Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Anupam Kalshristha while talking to reporters said, 'A sermon was going on, in which most of the women had gone to listen to the sermon. When the sermon ended, a crowd suddenly gathered, the women felt suffocated, after which the incident unfolded.
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The ADG said, 'This is a very painful accident, our priority is to provide treatment to the injured, and we are trying to complete the formalities of the deceased devotees as soon as possible. He also said that the permission of the program was given by the SDM and there was proper police arrangement. He said that around 40 police personnel are deployed.
Tags: Hathras News, UP news
First Publication: July 3, 2024, 12:15 PM IST
