AGRA: At least 107 people, most of them women, were killed in a stampede at a religious congregation in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district on Tuesday evening, senior state police officers said.
Additional director general (Agra zone), Anupam Kulshrestha’s office said most of the 107 deaths were women. Officials said the precise circumstances that led to the stampede were immediately unclear.
Initial reports suggested that the stampede started soon after the women rushed out of the venue after the religious congregation of religious preacher Bhole Baba ended.
Inspector general Aligarh Range Shalabh Mathur said prima facie, it appeared that some people felt suffocated at the premises because of the hot and humid weather and when the ‘satsang’ ended, those inside the enclosure rushed out resulting in a stampede killing mostly the women and children.
Jyoti, a teenager admitted to the district hospital in neighbouring Etah, said everyone wanted to get out of the enclosure in a hurry. “There was no other way out and people fell on each other leading to the stampede,” she said.
Jyoti recalled how she tried to exit the venue but motorcycles parked outside blocked her way “Many people fainted… others died,” Jyoti, who was brought to the hospital along with her mother, added.
{{/usCountry}}Jyoti recalled how she tried to exit the venue but motorcycles parked outside blocked her way “Many people fainted… others died,” Jyoti, who was brought to the hospital along with her mother, added.
{{/usCountry}}Mathur said the religious preacher had sought permission to hold the congregation which was given.
Anupam Kulshrestha said the bodies were reaching the Etah district hospital for autopsy. The requisite steps are being taken, he added.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath later announced ex gratia assistance of ₹2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 for those injured. A first information report (FIR) will be filed against the organisers and stringent action will be taken against them, he added.
“Minister in the UP government, Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, Sandeep Singh, have left for the incident site and have directed the Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh and Director General of Police Prashant Kumar of the state to reach the incident site,” the chief minister said in his post on X.