Cause of stampede: Multiple theories come to the fore
AGRA: Multiple theories surfaced about the reason for the stampede that claimed over 100 lives at a “satsang” in Hathras district on Tuesday afternoon.
An eyewitness said the rush among Bhole Baba’s followers for collecting “raj” (dust) over which the preacher’s vehicle had passed while leaving the venue was the reason for the stampede. “Baba had left after addressing satsang for over oneand-a-half hours on Tuesday. The followers raced to have ‘raj’ but slipped because of slippery ground and fell on each other, leading to the stampede,” said the eyewitness.
By the end of day, through a press note shared by state government media cell, officials in Lucknow said a crowd of thousands of devotees gathered for the programme of Bhole Baba, renowned as Narayan Saakar Hari.
They said the number of attendees exceeded the administration’s permitted limit at the venue, leading to a stampede during Bhole Baba’s “satsang.”
The stampede at Fulrai village, nearly 50 kilometres from Hathras district headquarters, that claimed over 100 lives, mostly women and children, was due to overcrowding of devotees at the event, said officials.
Earlier in the day, inspector general of police (Aligarh Range) Shalabh Mathur said, “The exact reasons are yet to be worked out but initial reports suggest that it was the closed enclosure of tent and prima facie it seems that suffocation led to discomfort for those there and they ran here and there, leading to the stampede.”
There were other versions, too, about the reasons which led to the stampede.
Another eyewitness said the followers were all set to move out of the venue but were stopped when the convoy of Bhole Baba left.
“Once they (the followers) were allowed to leave the venue, the crowd pressure became uncomfortable with hot and humid weather leading to suffocation and caused the stampede,” this eyewitness said.
“There was a huge crowd of followers on the spot. It all happened when the satsang ended and all were in a haste to leave the enclosure. There was no way out and everybody fell on each other and the stampede took place. When I tried to move out, I found motorcycles parked outside, blocking the way. Many fainted while others died,” said Jyoti, a survivor who was brought to Etah along with her mother who was unconscious.
Once the stampede took place, those at the venue ran wherever they could and went to a farm area nearby but the soil there was wet because of recent rain.
As a result, some fell and were overrun by others adding to the number of those dead, the eyewitnesses said.
The gathering was huge, said to be about a lakh, and vehicles that brought them – buses, bikes and auto-rickshaws -were parked in an area spanning three kilometres on the national highway.