The Hathras district administration in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday submitted an inquiry report into the possible reasons behind the stampede incident here during a religious gathering which claimed the lives of 116 people.
According to a report by the sub divisional magistrate (SDM), over 2 lakh people participated in the ‘Bhola Baba satsang’ on Tuesday. After the event ended, the crowd surged forward to have ‘darshan’ of Narayan Sakar Hari (Bhole Baba) and touch his feet.
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“When the devotees rushed towards the vehicle of the spiritual leader, his security personnel began pushing and shoving the crowd. This caused some people to fall. The crowd then moved towards the open field in front of the event venue, where people slipped and fell due to the slope while descending from the road to the field,” the report said.
Unable to get back up, the fallen were trampled as the crowd scattered. Many women, men and children were killed or seriously injured. The injured were immediately transported to nearby hospitals and community health centres by police security personnel using ambulances and other available means.
According to officials, the report was submitted by SDM of Sikandrarao to Hathras district magistrate.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has set up a high-level team comprising divisional commissioner Aligarh and ADG Agra to enquire into the incident.
Religious storyteller Bhole Baba, who came to Hathras for the programme, is a resident of Bahadur Nagar of Patiali in Kasganj district. His original name is SP Singh and he had left the job as sub inspector of police 17 years ago and since then started giving religious sermons.
It was told that SP Singh (Bhole Baba) had started preaching service to humanity during his job. At the same time, Bhole Baba and his followers generally stay away from the media.
