By Jose Kavi
New Delhi, July 3, 2024: Catholic bishops in India have joined political and social leaders to mourn the death of 121 people in a stampede at a Hindu religious event in the Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh state.
“We pray for the eternal repose of the departed souls and hope that the injured recover quickly,” says a condolence message from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) on July 3, a day after the tragedy occurred during a satsang in Mughal Garhi village, some 180 km southeast of New Delhi.
The bishops said they stood in solidarity with the families and assured “spiritual closeness” to them “in these difficult times.”
Soon after the tragedy was reported, President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the disaster.
More than 15,000 people had gathered for the event at a makeshift tent that had the capacity for only 5,000. Most victims were women and children.
The disaster occurred as people were leaving after the conclusion of the satsang commemorating the Hindu god Shiva that was held.
The religious event was organized by a local preacher known as Narayan Sakar Hari or Bhole Baba. His real name is Suraj Pal, a former Uttar Pradesh Police constable who has a large following among the Dalit community.
Officials claimed the incident occurred due to heat, overcrowding, and a strong dust storm that caused people to panic. The exit from the venue was reportedly too narrow. Some victims fell into a roadside drain during the commotion. Reports also suggested attendees were blocked to help the religious leader and his group exit first.
Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, announced that the families of each dead would get 200,000 rupees as financial assistance while those injured would receive 50,000 rupees. He has also instructed officials to investigate the causes of the incident.
The chief minister said his government has initiated a judicial inquiry headed by a retired High Court judge and promised to punish those responsible for the lapse after meeting the wounded and relatives of the deceased.
Arun Srivastava, chief medical officer of Hathras’ S N Medical College and Hospital where 21 bodies were brought, quoted post-mortem reports to explain that the victims died due to blood accumulation in the thoracic cavity, asphyxia and rib injuries.
Meanwhile a Delhi lawyer filed a plea in the Supreme Court July 3 seeking an appointment of a five-member expert committee under the supervision of a retired apex court judge to probe the stampede incident.
Vishal Tiwar also wants the apex court to direct the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a status report on the incident and to initiate legal action against officers for their negligent conduct.
The preacher baba on July 3 blamed anti-social elements for the tragedy.
“The stampede was created by some anti-social elements, I have authorised Dr A P Singh, Senior Advocate to take further legal action on this,” he said in a statement.