At least 116 individuals lost their lives and numerous others were injured in a stampede on Tuesday evening during a religious event in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district. The tragedy unfolded when a large crowd gathered in a village for a sermon by the renowned preacher Narayan Saakar Hari, also known as ‘Bhole Baba’.
“The attendees were exiting the venue when a dust storm blinded their vision, leading to a melee and the subsequent tragic incident,” said Chaitra V., divisional commissioner of Aligarh city in Uttar Pradesh state, told AFP.
The incident resulted in numerous casualties from being crushed or trampled, with some falling into a roadside drain. Ambulances quickly transported the injured to hospitals, while outside a mortuary in Etah, distraught women and men anxiously awaited updates on their loved ones.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath conveyed his sympathies and instructed district authorities to prioritize medical care for the injured and expedite relief operations at the scene.
Tragically, fatal incidents during religious gatherings are frequent in India, typically attributed to inadequate crowd control and safety oversights. For instance, in 2016, 112 individuals lost their lives in Kerala when a banned fireworks display triggered a massive explosion at a temple. Similarly, in 2013, a stampede near a temple bridge in Madhya Pradesh claimed 115 lives. Another significant incident occurred in 2008 at a hilltop temple in Jodhpur, where 224 pilgrims died and more than 400 were injured in a stampede.
Major stampedes in India over the years, most of them occurred during religious gatherings
January 2005: More than 340 devotees were fatally trampled and hundreds injured during an annual pilgrimage at Maharashtra’s Satara district’s Mandhardevi temple. The stampede was triggered by slippery steps leading to the temple.
August 2008: Approximately 145 Hindu pilgrims lost their lives following a stampede at Himachal Pradesh’s mountaintop Naina Devi temple, reportedly sparked by rumors of a landslide.
September 2008: During the Navratri festival in Rajasthan, a tragic stampede at the Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur city resulted in the deaths of 224 individuals. The incident was reportedly caused by rumors circulating about a bomb detonation at the temple.
March 2010: A stampede at a Hindu temple in Uttar Pradesh, prompted by a frenzied rush for free food and clothes offered by a self-proclaimed spiritual leader, resulted in the deaths of at least 63 people, with over half of them being children.
January 2011: A tragic incident at Pulmedu in Kerala’s Idukki district resulted in the deaths of at least 104 Sabarimala devotees and left over 40 others injured. The stampede occurred when a jeep collided with pilgrims returning home.
November 2011: At least 20 fatalities occurred in a stampede at Har-ki-Pauri ghat in Haridwar, situated on the banks of the Ganga river.
February 2013: At least 36 Hindu pilgrims lost their lives in a stampede on the busiest day of the Kumbh Mela, a massive gathering in Uttar Pradesh that attracts over 100 million pilgrims across two months.
November 2013: Approximately 115 individuals perished and over a hundred were injured in a stampede at the Ratangarh temple in Madhya Pradesh during Navratri celebrations.
January 2022: At least 12 fatalities occurred and numerous others were injured in a stampede at the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, triggered by a large crowd of devotees attempting to enter the narrow shrine.