'Mother Was Crushed': Hathras Stampede Victims' Kins Narrate Ordeals As They Seek Whereabouts Of Loved Ones

The victims were part of the crowd of thousands that had gathered near Phulrai village in the Sikandrarau area for the'satsang' by religious preacher Bhole Baba.

After the Hathras stampede incident, many people continued searching for their missing family members late into the night outside Sikandra Rao Community Health Centre. (Photo: PTI)

Hathras Stampede: Scores of bodies were lying on blocks of ice inside the government hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras on Tuesday night after the deadly stampede at a religious congregation claimed 121 lives and left 28 injured. Earlier, the toll stood at 116. The relatives of those killed were seen waiting outside in the drizzle to take the mortal remains of the victims back home.

The victims were part of the crowd of thousands that had gathered near Phulrai village in the Sikandrarau area for the'satsang' by religious preacher Bhole Baba. The stampede occurred at around 3.30 PM when Baba was leaving the venue.

After the incident, many people continued searching for their missing family members late into the night outside Sikandra Rao Community Health Centre, which is the closest healthcare facility to the stampede site.

Rajesh, who lives in Kasganj district, was searching for his mother, while Shivam searched for his paternal aunt (bua). Both carried mobile phones in their hands, showing pictures of their relatives. "I watched my mother's picture on a news channel and recognised her. She had come for the programme here along with two dozen other people from our village," Rajesh said, as quoted by PTI.

Forensic experts and a dog squad collected evidence at the incident site in Hathras, where a stampede took place yesterday, as reported by news agency ANI.

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 programme but hasn't returned home yet. He is not street smart, doesn't even carry a phone," Anshu told PTI. He said Singh was not a follower of Baba but had gone to the event for the first time on the insistence of an acquaintance.

Meena Devi, who lost her mother, Sudama Devi (65), said, "It was drizzling in the area (Sadiqpur) where I live, otherwise, I had planned to go to the 'Sangat' with my mother," as quoted by PTI. An inconsolable Meena sat outside the TB department of the Bagla Combined District Hospital, where scores of bodies were kept on the ground floor. "My brother and sister-in-law, their kids, had accompanied my mother to the 'Sangat'. In the crowd, my mother got left behind and was crushed over," she told PTI.

Vinod Kumar Suryavanshi, who lives in Barse village in the Sasni Tehsil, lost his 72-year-old maternal aunt, while his mother luckily survived. "I have been here for three hours. The body is still here, and I have been told it will go for a post-mortem now, but I am not sure how much more time it will take," he said as he waited for his aunt's son, who was arriving here from Greater Noida.

'Left With Nothing': Father Of Deceased 16-Year-Old Daughter

Vinod, who lost his wife, mother and 16-year-old daughter in the Hathras stampede, expressed his grief over the incident, saying that he lost everything.

Speaking to ANI, Vinod said, "I did not even know that all three had gone to the Satsang because he had gone somewhere outside. Someone told him that there was a stampede in the satsang after which I reached the spot and found out that my 16-year-old daughter, mother and wife had died. I could not even find my mother's body." He further stated, "I am left with nothing... everything is gone".

'She Was Fine But...': Mother Of 16-Year-Old Victim

Kamla, the mother of another 16-year-old victim of the Hathras tragedy, expressed grief over the death of her daughter Roshni. She said, "I have been coming to Baba's satsang for 20 years. Today, I went to attend satsang with my 16-year-old daughter and a stampede broke out around 2 in the afternoon. I and my daughter were slightly injured. She was fine but as soon as she reached the hospital, she fell unconscious, later the doctors declared her dead."

#WATCH | Mother of a 16-year-old who died in the Hathras stampede, Kamala says, " We have been attending the Satsang for the last 20 years and such an incident has never happened...'Parmatama' (Bhole Baba) left around 2-2:30 pm and after that, the incident happened...I lost my… pic.twitter.com/QnAazDZvAa

— ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2024