'People started falling one by one … ': Hathras stampede eyewitness recalls horror; several look for missing kin

NEW DELHI: Confusion. Screams. Fear. Chaos. Hundreds of people gathered to listen to 'Bhole Baba', a self-styled godman, in a small village of Uttar Pradesh's Hathras on Tuesday, without realising that in no time they would witness the horror of their lives.
A stampede broke as the devotees started to leave at the end of a 'satsang' (prayer meet) organised in Pulrai village.Over 100 people died in the incident and several others were injured.
Shakuntala, an eyewitness, recalled how people started falling one after the other as the crowd started to run in a rush. "Everyone started to come out after the event ended. The road was uneven outside as the road was built on a height with a drain below. One after the other, people started falling into it. Some people got crushed."
As the rescue operation continued and the hospital kept getting trucks full of bodies, several looked for their missing relatives.
"I came here with my family members from Badaun. The wife of my younger brother is missing after the stampede. We got to know that several people were missing. I was making announcements in the mic but it did not help," said Suresh.
Another woman, who came with 20-25 people to attend the satsang was still looking for her 15-year-old daughter.
"We had come here to attend the Satsang from Agra. My 15-year-old daughter is missing. Around 20-25 people had come from Agra but we can't find my daughter anywhere. Police say they do not know anything," she said.
Meanwhile, an NDRF team is on its way to for medical assistance. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath is also likely to visit Hathras on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah spoke to CM Yogi Adityanath and assured all the help from the Centre.
"The Uttar Pradesh government is engaged in providing all possible help to the victims. My condolences with those who have lost their loved ones. I wish for the speedy recovery to the injured," PM Modi said in a post on X.
As the news of the stampede broke, PM Modi, who was in the middle of his fierce attack on opposition in Lok Sabha, paused and shared the information with fellow MPs.
"In the midst of these discussions I have also been given sad news. It has come to my attention that there have been many tragic deaths in the stampede in Hathras ..." the PM said.
"I express my condolences to those who lost their lives (and) hope for the speedy recovery of the injured," he added.

Who is Baba Bhole?
The satsang was reportedly being held by Sakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba, formerly known as Saurabh Kumar. According to Navbharat Times report, the baba had previously served in the intelligence department of Uttar Pradesh Police.
After 17 years of service, he quit his job to embark on spiritual journey as a preacher. He is often seen giving lessons in white suit and tie. He belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community, has no children and organises satsang programs with his wife and is also known as 'Sakar Vishwa Hari Baba of Patiali'.
Following the passing of one of his three brothers, he established a Trust and designated a caretaker to oversee his property in Bahadurgarh, where his ashram is situated.
After setting up his ashram in Bahadur Nagar, Bhole Baba's popularity soared among the underprivileged and marginalised sections of society, with hundreds of thousands of people becoming his devotees, as reported by locals.
According to a resident of Hathras, "Baba conducts sermons and keeps his own volunteers for security who take care of the arrangements of his satsang."
Hundreds of people usually attend his events. While his following extends beyond UP to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, both the preacher and his acolytes maintain a distance from the media.