India is investigating the tragic aftermath of a religious event in Uttar Pradesh state on July 2. Reports said at least 121 people were killed in a stampede.
A police investigation was opened the next day against the organizers of the event in Hathras district, where local Hindu preacher Bhole Baba, real name Narayan Sakar Hari, delivered a sermon.
The organizers allegedly sought permission for a gathering of around 80,000 people, but Indian media reported that at least 250,000 attended the event. Most of the attendees appeared to be women, many of whom brought children along with them.
The police report said the crowd left the venue uncontrolled, resulting in those sitting on the ground being crushed. The first information report also noted that the organizers had tried to hide the actual attendance figures.
According to reports, Bhole Baba worked as a police constable with the Uttar Pradesh police for 18 years before resigning to seek "spiritual enlightenment" and becoming a preacher.
There are conflicting reports about his real name, with some suggesting that he was born originally Suraj Pal Singh, but he allegedly later changed his name to Narayan Sakar Hari.
Bhole Baba has millions of followers across India, including in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
The Uttar Pradesh police said they were looking for the Hindu preacher who hosted the gathering. It was widely reported that the preacher went into hiding soon after the stampede. (Related: State Commission blames Netanyahu and three other high-ranking Israeli officials for 2021 Meron stampede.)
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Bhole Baba is only seen in public in formal white clothes and is often accompanied by his wife at his sermons. Prior to the stampede, Bhole Baba held a similar event in the Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh.
The stampede occurred during a "satsang" or a prayer meeting hosted by the preacher in the village of Rati Bhanpur in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras area. Thousands of devotees showed up to listen to him talk, with many people crowding under tents to avoid the harsh sun.
Reports suggest that hundreds of devotees later chased after the preacher as he left the venue to collect the dust from under his feet. The crowding then turned into a deadly stampede where many attendees were trampled.
The Uttar Pradesh Police Force confirmed in a statement that at least 121 people were killed in the stampede.
In a video posted by human rights organization Article19 India on X, a car is shown driving away from the venue while being followed by hundreds of people. The police report said that some organizers armed with sticks attempted to stop the followers.
Tragic incident sparks political storm in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Hathras to meet with officials and survivors of the stampede. He declared that they would thoroughly investigate the matter to "find out whether it was an accident or a conspiracy."
On the other hand, public interest litigation has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the appointment of an expert committee to investigate the incident.
The tragic incident has also resulted in a political storm in the state, with several opposition parties claiming it happened because of the government’s "negligence."
Leader of the Opposition Akhilesh Yadav of the left-wing Samajwadi Party said "the government did not take enough precautionary measures" and that many lives "could have been saved." Yadav also criticized the "politicization" of the incident, adding that it was "unfortunate."
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the Uttar Pradesh state government will be helping the victims.
Pawan Khera, the Opposition Congress party leader, blamed the state government, which is run by Modi's Bhartiya Janata Party, for being unprepared for the event. Khera also claimed that the hospitals where the injured were sent didn't have enough doctors or facilities to treat them.
Sadly, stampedes at religious events in India are common because the gatherings are mostly managed privately. They are also often held without the proper safety or crowd control measures in place.
One of India's deadliest stampedes at a religious event occurred in 2005 when more than 340 people died at the Mandhardevi temple in the western state of Maharashtra.
In 2008, more than 250 people died at a stampede at Rajasthan state's Chamunda Devi temple. Also in 2008, more than 160 people died in a stampede at the Naina Devi temple in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh.
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