Horror in Hathras: After stampede kills 121, it's a day of mourning
A stampede broke out at a religious congregation in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district on Tuesday. Around 2.5 lakh people were attending the sermon delivered by self-styled godman Bhole Baba. When the preacher was leaving, devotees rushed to collect dust from his car’s tyre trail. This triggered a crowd crush which killed 121 including 108 women, 7 children
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A man weeps hugging his sister’s father-in-law, who was one of the victims of a deadly stampede. On Tuesday, around 121 people, including women and children were trampled to death after a stampede broke out at a ‘satsang’ event in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district . AP
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The Hathras stampede is one of the most fatal stampedes in history. It broke out during a religious congregation at a ‘satsang’ event in the district’s Pulrai village. AFP
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Outside the Hathras’ Sikandara Rao Trauma Centre, heartbreaking scenes unfolded as the bodies of the deceased lay scattered at the entrance, surrounded by mourning relatives. One youth told NDTV that there were almost 100-200 casualties for one on-duty doctor at the hospital. PTI
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Anxious relatives mourn outside a hospital where victims of the Hathras stampede are admitted. As the day went by, the official estimate of the fatalities jumped and the crowds outside the trauma centre and the mortuary swelled. PTI
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According to FIR, a crowd of 2.5 lakh attended the ‘satsang’ oraganised by self-styled godman Suraj Pal aka Narayan Saakar Hari, whose followers called him Bhole Baba. The event’s organisers had sought permission for a gathering of 80,000-odd people. AFP
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As many as 28 people, including women and children, were severely injured during the stampede which reportedly broke out after the satsang when godman’s devotees rushed to collect dust from his car’s tyre trail as he began to leave. AFP
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A relative grieves the loss of a loved one outside the morgue of a Hathras hospital. The UP CM Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the stampede and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh ex gratia for the families of the dead and Rs 50,000 each for the injured. He also instructed officials to reach the accident site and carry out relief measures. AFP
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Forensic experts collected evidence from the incident site on Wednesday. Recently, PILs have been filed in the Supreme Court and Allahabad High Court seeking constitution of a high-level committee under the supervision of a retired SC judge to investigate the incident. It also seeks legal action against Bhole Baba, who is currently on the run. AFP
