A stampede occurred at a religious gathering in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, leading to the deaths of at least 116 people. The event, hosted by self-styled godman Baba Narayan Hari, attracted thousands of devotees but ended in disaster due to overcrowding.
The baba, originally named Suraj Pal, also known as Saakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba, is believed to be hiding at his ashram in Mainpuri, about 100 km from the stampede site.
Police and Rescue Operations
Senior police officials have been deployed to the stampede site in Hathras and Baba Narayan Hari’s ashram, the Ram Kutir Charitable Trust.
The area is now under heavy police presence, with forensic teams, dog squads, and members of the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) on the scene.
The stampede resulted in the deaths of 116 people, including 106 women and seven children. The Uttar Pradesh government has identified most of the victims and announced a compensation of ₹2 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed their condolences to the victims’ families.
Officials have reported that the venue of the Satsang was too small to accommodate the massive crowd that gathered safely. The stampede began as devotees rushed to touch the feet of Baba Narayan Hari, causing chaos and crowd build-up in a confined area.
Devotees had come from various districts of Uttar Pradesh and neighboring states to attend the event.
A high-level committee has been established to investigate the incident, led by the Additional Director General of Police, Agra, and the Aligarh Commissioner. A case has been filed against the Satsang organizers, who reportedly exceeded the permitted crowd size of 80,000 by allowing over 2.5 lakh devotees to attend.
The organizers have been charged under sections of the new criminal code, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), for their negligence and failure to cooperate during the crisis.
ALSO READ: “Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras Stampede: So Far The Death Toll Is 116 And More Than 15 Injured”
Baba Narayan Hari, formerly Suraj Pal, claims to have worked with the Intelligence Bureau and turned to spirituality in the 1990s. He was born in Bahadur Nagari village in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district and was previously a head constable with the Local Intelligence Unit of the UP police. He resigned from his police job in 1999 to pursue a spiritual path and changed his name to Narayan Saakar Hari.
Helpline Numbers
In response to the stampede, the Uttar Pradesh government has launched two helpline numbers for assistance: 05722227041 and 05722227042.
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