Ahead of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's visit to Hathras, the families of the victims of the stampede shared with the media horrific tales of anguish their loved ones had to go through at the religious event dedicated to preacher Bhole Baba. Some of them even blamed the self-styled godman for the tragedy.
A man told the media that his wife had attended the event along with her two daughters. He said his younger daughter died on the lap of his elder daughter.
"My wife and two daughters had gone there in Satsang... My young daughter took her last breath in the lap of my elder daughter as they both got stuck in the crowd. He (Rahul Gandhi) is coming, will tell him whatever he asks. Many people came home and sympathised with us," he said.
On Friday morning, Rahul Gandhi visited Aligarh and Hathras to meet with the families of the deceased.
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"He (Rahul Gandhi) assured us that he will help us in every possible way through his party. The administration at the satsang venue was not good. My sister-in-law could have been saved if there had been a proper medical facility. There were no proper arrangements at the venue," said a family member of one of the 121 deceased.
{{/usCountry}}"He (Rahul Gandhi) assured us that he will help us in every possible way through his party. The administration at the satsang venue was not good. My sister-in-law could have been saved if there had been a proper medical facility. There were no proper arrangements at the venue," said a family member of one of the 121 deceased.
{{/usCountry}}Sonia Devi, the daughter-in-law of Premwati (deceased), said that her mother-in-law attended the event against the family's wishes.
"If Baba was so powerful why he could not save the lives of his followers? We have removed photos of Bhole Baba after the demise of my mother-in-law. There was an arrangement for 80,000 but three lakh reached the venue. My mother-in-law was superstitious. Fortunately, my two children were ready to go with her but did not go and were saved," she added.
A family member of the victim claimed the preacher asked his followers to collect sand from the path he trodded.
"I was informed over a phone call that something had happened and one of our neighbours lost their son and my mother was missing. The 'Baba', at the end of the 'satsang' said that 'If you have any problems, collect the sand from below my feet while I walk away and keep it with you' and people ran to collect the soil. My mother was 55-60 years old and she could not even get up from her spot, people walked over her," he said.
"My wife had fed her, gave her new clothes to wear while leaving from home and when I found her... her face was covered with soil, it was swollen, she had suffered many injuries. The 'Baba' is responsible for this. He could have sought help from the administration or police when he saw that more people had gathered than expected," he added.
The UP police have arrested six people who had organised the event. However, Bhole Baba has not been named in the FIR yet. He and the main accused are missing.
Bhole Baba's lawyer, AP Singh, claimed the stampede occurred because of anti-social elements.