Decision Makers
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath
UP Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh
- Director General - UP Police - Prashant Kumar IPS
- District Magistrate (Hathras) - Ashish Kumar IAS
Demands:
Take action against Bhole Baba Satsang organizers
Arrest Bhole Baba, who is now absconding
Ensure that the SOPs for large events are not flouted
Ensure public address systems in place to counter rumors
In Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, at least 121 people died and several others injured, in a stampede at a religious congregation (satsang) due to mismanagement by the event organisers. The satsang (a religious gathering) had been organized by self-proclaimed godman Bhole Baba, also known as Narayan Saakar Hari, on July 2, 2024.
Reports suggest that the stampede occurred when swathes of people rushed to touch his feet and collect dust from Bhole Baba’s car’s tyre trail as he exited. This led to people trampling over one another, and eventually crushing one another.
The event organizers were granted permission for 80,000 people to attend the event, but over 2.5 lakh devotees were reportedly in attendance. This was triple the number that the location could accommodate.
In January 2020 as well, during Bhole Baba’s Satsang in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur, a stampede had occurred after a fire broke out during prasad distribution. The fire rescue team arrived promptly and a major incident was averted. [1]
Before assuming his role of a spiritual leader, Bhole Baba was a constable with the Uttar Pradesh Police. A case has been filed against the organizers of the event, under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 126 (2) (wrongful restraint), 223 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by the public servant), 238 (causing disappearance of evidence), however Bhole Baba has not been mentioned in the FIR. [2]
The organizers hid evidence after the stampede, did not share the actual number of devotees in attendance, and did not cooperate in traffic management. [3]
We are urging authorities to take strict action against the organizers of the satsang, arrest the absconding Bhole Baba and ensure strict protocols for mass gatherings like these in the future.
In India, stampedes at religious gatherings have been a common occurrence. In January 2022, at least 12 people lost their lives and others were injured in a stampede at the Vaishno Devi temple, after scores of people tried to enter the temple premises through its narrow gates. In November 2013, over 115 people died and more than a hundred were left injured following a stampede at the Ratangarh temple in Madhya Pradesh as over 150,000 people gathered to celebrate Navratri.
P.S. The Uttar Pradesh government has launched two helpline numbers for providing assistance to survivors -- 05722227041 and 05722227042 -- after the Hathras stampede incident.
Sources:
Decision Makers
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath
UP Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh
- Director General - UP Police - Prashant Kumar IPS
- District Magistrate (Hathras) - Ashish Kumar IAS
Demands:
Take action against Bhole Baba Satsang organizers
Arrest Bhole Baba, who is now absconding
Ensure that the SOPs for large events are not flouted
Ensure public address systems in place to counter rumors
In Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, at least 121 people died and several others injured, in a stampede at a religious congregation (satsang) due to mismanagement by the event organisers. The satsang (a religious gathering) had been organized by self-proclaimed godman Bhole Baba, also known as Narayan Saakar Hari, on July 2, 2024.
Reports suggest that the stampede occurred when swathes of people rushed to touch his feet and collect dust from Bhole Baba’s car’s tyre trail as he exited. This led to people trampling over one another, and eventually crushing one another.
The event organizers were granted permission for 80,000 people to attend the event, but over 2.5 lakh devotees were reportedly in attendance. This was triple the number that the location could accommodate.
In January 2020 as well, during Bhole Baba’s Satsang in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur, a stampede had occurred after a fire broke out during prasad distribution. The fire rescue team arrived promptly and a major incident was averted. [1]
Before assuming his role of a spiritual leader, Bhole Baba was a constable with the Uttar Pradesh Police. A case has been filed against the organizers of the event, under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 126 (2) (wrongful restraint), 223 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by the public servant), 238 (causing disappearance of evidence), however Bhole Baba has not been mentioned in the FIR. [2]
The organizers hid evidence after the stampede, did not share the actual number of devotees in attendance, and did not cooperate in traffic management. [3]
We are urging authorities to take strict action against the organizers of the satsang, arrest the absconding Bhole Baba and ensure strict protocols for mass gatherings like these in the future.
In India, stampedes at religious gatherings have been a common occurrence. In January 2022, at least 12 people lost their lives and others were injured in a stampede at the Vaishno Devi temple, after scores of people tried to enter the temple premises through its narrow gates. In November 2013, over 115 people died and more than a hundred were left injured following a stampede at the Ratangarh temple in Madhya Pradesh as over 150,000 people gathered to celebrate Navratri.
P.S. The Uttar Pradesh government has launched two helpline numbers for providing assistance to survivors -- 05722227041 and 05722227042 -- after the Hathras stampede incident.
Sources: