Following a tragic stampede at a religious event in Hathras district, Uttar Pradesh, the police filed an FIR at Sikandra Rau police station on Wednesday regarding the deaths of 121 people. The incident occurred during a ‘Satsang’ organized by religious preacher Bhole Baba, although he has not been named in the FIR.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Hathras on Wednesday to assess the situation after the stampede claimed so many lives the day before. The state government had earlier announced compensation of ₹2 lakh for each family that lost a loved one in the tragedy.
At the government hospital, numerous bodies were stored on ice blocks on Tuesday night following the devastating stampede. Outside, amidst light rain, grieving relatives waited to claim the remains of their loved ones. Officials confirmed 121 deaths by Wednesday morning. The victims had gathered near Phulrai village in the Sikandrarau area for the religious gathering.
Throughout the afternoon, RSS and Bajrang Dal workers and volunteers remained at the hospital, providing water packets and assisting grieving relatives who were in shock. Aniket, a Bajrang Dal volunteer, mentioned the shortage of ambulances given the number of bodies.
One distraught woman was seen in tears near a truck carrying several bodies, pleading for help to find her daughter’s remains. The state government has assigned Agra’s additional director general of police and Aligarh’s divisional commissioner to investigate the incident, with a report due within 24 hours.
District Magistrate Ashish Kumar informed the media that the event was a private function authorized by the sub-divisional magistrate. While security was provided outside the venue by the local administration, the organizers were responsible for the internal arrangements.
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