The death toll in a stampede at a religious congregation in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh has gone up to 121. 28 people have been seriously injured and are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Aligarh, Agra, Etah, and Hathras.
The stampede took place at a Satsang of Bhole Baba in Phulrai village of Sikandra Rao tehsil yesterday. Officials said the stampede took place when devotees tried to get a glimpse of Bhole Baba after the event ended. UP chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh said 72 bodies have been identified so far.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered a thorough probe into the incident to determine the underlying causes and prevent such tragedies in the future. A high-level committee has been constituted to investigate the matter under the chairmanship of ADG Agra Zone, which will submit its report within 24 hours.
President, Vice President, and Prime Minister have expressed grief over the tragic incident. President Droupadi Murmu said the deaths of devotees, including women and children, in the incident were heartbreaking. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said that he is deeply distressed to know about the loss of lives in Hathras under unfortunate circumstances. He prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath about the tragic incident. He said that the UP government is engaged in providing all possible assistance to the victims. Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia of two lakh rupees from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of the kin of each deceased in the mishap. The injured will be given 50 thousand rupees. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also announced an ex-gratia of 2 lakh rupees each to the families of the deceased and 50 thousand rupees each to the injured.