116 people killed in stampede at prayer meeting

At least 116 people were killed and over 200 injured in a stampede at a religious event in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh said seven of the dead were children, one was a man, and the rest were women.

Over 120,000 people had converged for a satsang (prayer meeting), titled “Manav Mangal Milan Sadbhavana Samagam”, organized by self-styled godman Narayan Sakar Hari at Fulrai village in the Sikandrarau police station limits.

Eyewitnesses said the police failed to control the crowd that went into a frenzy in an attempt to greet the godman at the end of the satsang. According to Sikandrarau Sub-divisional Magistrate Ravindra Kumar, the devotees also wanted to collect some soil from around his feet.

Heart-wrenching visuals shared by fellow participants showed bodies lying outside the post-mortem house while kin of the deceased cried out for help. People were forced to carry those who had fainted to get help. No ambulance was available on the spot. The godman and his aides reportedly left the spot immediately after the stampede.