Hathras stampede: FIR registered against organisers; death toll reaches 121

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday, 3 July registered an FIR against the organisers of the religious congregation in Hathras where 121 people died following a stampede.

'Mukhya sevadar' Devprakash Madhukar and other organisers have been named in the first information report (FIR) filed at the Sikandara Rao police station late Tuesday, 2 July, a senior officer told PTI.

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), the officer said.

Officials have put the death toll at 121. At least 108 of them women and seven children. 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 took place at around 3.30 pm when Baba was leaving the venue.

Outside Sikandra Rao Community Health Centre, the closest healthcare facility from the stampede site, many continued searching for their missing family members late into the night.

Rajesh, who lives in Kasganj district, said he was looking 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.

Eyewitness Shakuntala Devi told PTI that the stampede took place while people were leaving the venue at the end of the 'satsang'. "Outside, there was a road built on a height over a drain. People fell atop each other," she said.

A second eyewitness, Sonu Kumar, said there were at least 10,000 people at the venue and when Baba was leaving, many of them rushed to touch his feet.

As they were returning, people slipped and fell over one another as parts of the ground had turned boggy with water overflowing from a nearby drain, he added.

Another person who had left the venue before the programme ended said the arrangements made were inadequate for the size of the crowd gathered at the venue.