Grief and Outrage as India Crush Claims 121 Lives
Families of some of the victims are still searching for their loved ones, one day after 121 people died in a crush in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
The incident took place during a satsang (a Hindu religious festival) organised by a self-styled godman called Bhole Baba in Hathras district.
Police stated that severe overcrowding at the venue caused the crush, and they have filed charges against the event's main organizers.
On Wednesday, numerous police officers were present as politicians visited the site to investigate the tragedy. Dozens of workers were busy dismantling the sprawling tent at the event venue, located about 500 meters from the main road. Two colorful arches bearing the name and photograph of the self-styled guru marked the entrance and exit.
Early morning rain had soaked the area, creating large puddles that made it difficult to walk. The organizers had laid a brick path leading to the main stage, which was scattered with the victims' clothes and shoes, serving as a painful reminder of the lives lost.
Yogesh Yadav, who lives in the neighbourhood, was one of the first to rush to the site.
“After the prayer meeting was over, Bhole Baba was leaving. Hundreds of women ran after his car to pick up the soil underneath the tyres of the vehicle as a way of seeking his blessing,” he said.
“Some crossed the highway to get a better glimpse of his car. In the melee, many women fell in the drain adjacent to the highway. People started falling on top of each other,” Mr Yadav said.
According to the first information report (FIR) lodged by the police, authorities had given permission for 80,000 people to gather for the event. But around 250,000 people turned up to attend it.
Eyewitnesses told the BBC that there wasn't enough security to manage such a huge crowd.
At the main hospital in the nearby city of Aligarh, we saw dozens of people waiting to receive the bodies of their loved ones.
One man said he had come to look for his aunt who had been missing since Tuesday afternoon.
Hridesh Kumar was sitting outside the mortuary and wailing unconsolably.
“My wife Sarva Devi came with our two children to the prayer meeting with some of our relatives. My uncle and children were not injured. But my wife was killed in the crush," he said.
"How will I look after my children without her? My whole life has turned upside down," he added.
Not much is known about the preacher, but locals said he was very popular in the district.
As we drove to the accident site, we saw numerous posters and billboards of him lining both sides of the road. According to police, he runs an organization called the Ram Kutir Charitable Trust, which was the main organizer of Tuesday's event.
Accidents are commonly reported at religious events in India, where large crowds gather in small spaces with inadequate safety measures. In 2018, about 60 people were killed when a train struck a crowd watching Dusshera celebrations, a Hindu festival. In 2013, a crush at a Hindu festival in Madhya Pradesh resulted in 115 deaths.
