India stampede: safety probe looms after more than 120 killed in religious rush

Authorities estimate over 250,000 people attended the religious gathering, despite its event permit only allowing for 80,000

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Chedilal, 65, whose daughter died in the stampede, speaks on the phone as he mourns outside a hospital in the Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh, India, on July 3. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:28pm, 3 Jul 2024Updated: 11:55pm, 3 Jul 2024

After more than 120 people died in a stampede at a religious gathering in India’s Uttar Pradesh state, police are investigating why local authorities and the event’s organisers did not follow basic protocols to ensure the safety of the enormous crowd, given similar tragedies in the past.

Among the victims was 20-year-old Priyanka from Kasganj village, who attended the satsang, a type of Hindu religious gathering, in the Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh (UP) along with her family on Tuesday.

“She was trampled as we were trying to leave the satsang. We took her to the hospital but she passed away,” Priyanka’s father Ramsev told This Week in Asia.

Authorities say at least 121 people were trampled to death at Tuesday’s gathering after devotees rushed to receive a blessing from Narayan Sakar Hari, the guru popularly known as Bhole Baba who organised the event.

Authorities estimate around 250,000 people attended the satsang, far exceeding the 80,000 allowed by the event’s permit. The police have filed a case against the organisers.

Chaitra V, divisional commissioner of Aligarh city in UP, also attributed the tragedy to a dust storm that kicked up as the event was ending, blinding the vision of attendees and leading to a melee that caused the subsequent stampede.

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Deadly stampede crushes 116 Indians, mainly women, at Hindu gathering