A tragic stampede at a religious event in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district claimed the lives of at least 107 people, most of them women. The incident occurred when a large gathering was attending a ‘Satsang’ meeting conducted by a religious preacher at a tent in the Rati Bhanpur village of the Sikandra Rau area.
The chaos unfolded as the congregation became distressed, reportedly due to suffocating conditions inside the tent. “It was very hot and humid during the event,” police sources said, adding that discomfort led to panic, resulting in a rush towards the exits and subsequently causing a deadly stampede.
Inspector General (Aligarh Range) Shalabh Mathur stated, “A temporary permission was granted for the gathering at the spot on the border of Etah and Hathras district on Tuesday afternoon. It was a satsang meeting of Bhole Baba, a religious preacher.” The venue was overwhelmed by the sheer number of attendees, leading to the tragic event.
Among the deceased, several have been identified: Ganga Devi (70) from Hathras, Priyanka (20) from Kasganj, Jasoda (70) from Mathura, Saroj Lata (60) from Etah, and two children, Kavya (4) and Ayush (8), both from Shahjahanpur.
Survivors recounted harrowing tales of trying to escape the chaos. One victim, currently receiving treatment at a nearby hospital, described the scene: “When the religious event ended, everyone rushed to leave. There was no way out, and everybody fell on each other, causing a stampede. Motorcycles parked outside blocked my way, and many fainted while others died.”
The exact cause of the stampede is under investigation. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed profound grief over the incident and has directed local officials to expedite rescue and relief operations. “Instructions have been given to investigate the causes of the incident under the leadership of ADG Agra and Commissioner Aligarh,” stated the CM’s Office on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Sources By Agencies
