Among scores of buses that ferried the disciples of self-styled godman Suraj Pal alias ‘Bhole Baba’, also known as Hari Sakar, to Hathras, two of the overloaded buses were from Raebareli district, about 400 kilometre away, in Uttar Pradesh.
On one of these buses was Chhedi Lal, a 65-year-old who was attending the Samagam (religious gathering) with his daughter Ruby (34) and her 5-year-old son.
After the event got over and Pal’s followers, estimated to be 2.50 lakh in number, were exiting the makeshift setup, it was in an attempt to touch the feet of the Baba, that a stampede was set off. The tragic stampede in Hathras on Tuesday resulted in the death of 121 people and left hundreds of others injured.
Ruby, while trying to exit the venue, was crushed under the crowd causing her fatal injuries. By the time she could be rushed to the closest medical facility, she succumbed to her injuries. Lal, her father, who was at the mortuary of District hospital in Hathras, to collect Ruby’s body on Wednesday morning, said it seems their life had come to an end.
“My daughter died in front of me. Her son is missing, and we have no idea in what condition he is. How will he survive without his mother? This was my first time at this event, and I regret I made this decision,” Lal said.
Lal also raised questions on the state administration and arrangements put in place to deal with the mammoth crowd. “There were people of Baba who were managing the crowd. No one from the administration could be seen. Policemen were outnumbered and they could hardly do anything. The government should’ve made adequate arrangements if permission was given,” he added as he could barely stop weeping.
Rajkumari Devi, 40, who had accompanied Lal to collect Ruby’s body, said she got a call from Lal from the hospital informing her about Ruby’s death.
“She is my brother-in-law’s son’s wife. She was very young and had a five-year-old son. This is clear injustice to our family and there’s no one who can undo this. Recovery from this tragedy is unthinkable,” Devi said.
Outside Sikandra Rao Community Health Centre, the closest healthcare facility from the stampede site, family members continued searching for their missing ones till late night on Tuesday.
One of them was Rajesh, from Kasganj, a neighbouring district, who was frantically searching for his mother with her photo on his mobile phone. With him was his cousin Shivam. Both men were seen running pillar to post to locate Rajesh’s mother.
“I watched my mother’s picture on a news channel on my phone and recognised her body. She had come for the programme here along with two dozen other people from our village,” Rajesh said.
Anshu and Pabal Kumar waited near the CHC in their small pick-up truck, loaded with empty milk containers, hoping to find Gopal Singh, 40, the missing father of their cousin.
“He went for the samagam but didn’t return home. He was not street smart, doesn’t even carry a phone. We do not know in what condition is he,” Anshu said.
An FIR has been filed against the organisers of the religious event indicating that while permission was granted for 80,000 people, over 2,50,000 attended. The FIR claims that personal security for ‘Bhole Baba’ attempted to manage the crowd, but a ditch in the field caused chaos. Additionally, the FIR alleges that the organisers destroyed evidence and failed to assist those affected by the stampede.
The FIR has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 126 (2) (wrongful restraint), 223 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by the public servant), 238 (causing disappearance of evidence).
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