LUCKNOW, India (AP) — More than 120 people were killed in a stampede after a religious gathering in northern India, one of the deadliest accidents in recent years.
Authorities are investigating what led to the massive stampede, which is believed to have occurred as the event, led by a Hindu guru known locally as Bhole Baba, was ending on Tuesday.
What happened?
It is not immediately clear what caused the panic, but authorities suspect that the huge crowds, lack of exits, bad weather and other factors contributed to the high death toll.
The event took place in a large tent in a village in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh state, amid sweltering heat and high humidity.
“Initial reports suggest that the closed enclosure of the tent led to suffocation, causing discomfort and panic among those present,” said police chief Shalabh Mathur.
Poor planning was another major issue: some 250,000 people showed up for the event, which was permitted for 80,000 and held in a tent on a muddy field. It is not clear how many people were in the tent.
When the preacher stepped off the stage, officials said worshippers in the tent pushed forward to touch him, causing chaos and prompting volunteers to try to intervene.
An initial police report suggested that thousands of people then gathered toward the exit. Many also slipped on the muddy ground, falling and being crushed by the crowd. Witnesses described a scene of total chaos as a number of worshippers also ran after the preacher as he left the venue in his car. Most of the dead were women.
Who is Bhole Baba and why did hundreds of thousands of people come to him?
Hundreds of thousands of Bhol’s followers from across the state and surrounding areas came to hear his sermon.
The preacher’s Sri Jagar Guru Baba organization had been preparing for the event for more than two weeks.
The Hindu guru’s name is Suraj Pal, but he uses the alias Bhole Baba.
Bhole is a Dalit, a group that is at the bottom of the Indian caste pyramid. Many of his followers are also from lower castes, are female and poor.
He was a police officer until the late 1990s, when he quit his job to become a preacher. Although he is not a household name nationally, he has a large following in the state of Uttar Pradesh and neighboring states. Now in his 60s, he is known to dress all in white and often wears blue mirrored aviator sunglasses.
Bhole runs two ashrams in the state and hosts weekly religious gatherings, called satsangs, where he often talks about leading a simple and virtuous life.
After the stampede, police launched a search for Bhole and other event organizers.
In May 2022, Bhole held a rally that attracted more than 50,000 people, but no casualties were reported.
How common are stampedes in India?
In India, deadly mobs are quite common, especially during religious festivals, when large groups of people, sometimes millions, gather in cramped spaces with poor infrastructure and few security measures.
According to Sanjay Srivastava, a disaster management expert, India has seen a number of panic situations over the past two decades as many religious events were organised without adequate preparation, crowd control measures or even prior permission.
“Often such gatherings are held so regularly that sometimes the police do not check whether the guidelines are being followed,” he said.
Tuesday’s event violated general safety norms, Srivastava added.
“The meeting was held in a makeshift tent with no multiple exits. Normally there should be eight to 10 well-marked exits leading to open areas,” he said.
Officials said the tent appeared to have only one small exit.
One of the last major accidents occurred in 2013, when pilgrims visiting a temple for a popular Hindu festival in the central state of Madhya Pradesh trampled on each other over fears that a bridge would collapse. At least 115 people were crushed or killed in the river.
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Pathi reported from New Delhi.
