2 years after Hathras stampede: Grief lingers for some, others faith in Bhole Baba remains unshaken

Hathras (UP), Jul 1 (PTI) Two years after a stampede at a religious congregation led by self-styled godman Surajpal alias Bhole Baba claimed 121 lives here, the pain of those who lost their loved ones remains fresh, even as some followers continue to profess unwavering faith in him. Vinod Kumar of Sokhana village said he lost three generations of his family in the stampede -- his mother Jayvanti (70), wife Rajkumari (40) and daughter Bhumi (9). "I am living because life has to go on," he said. For Rakesh Kumar of the same village, who lost his 70-year-old aunt Son Devi in the stampede, the tragedy has not diminished his faith in Bhole Baba. He said his family's faith in Bhole Baba remains intact and they continue to visit his ashram. "My family is happy and prosperous because of Bhole Baba's blessings," he said, wearing a locket bearing the self-styled godman's picture around his neck. Son Devi's daughter-in-law Rekha said her mother-in-law was a regular at Bhole Baba's satsangs and had encouraged other family members to join her. The stampede occurred on July 2, 2024, between Mughalgarhi and Phulrai villages under Sikandra Rao police station limits when a large crowd had gathered for Bhole Baba's satsang. Most of the victims were women and children. Many were injured in what was one of Uttar Pradesh's worst crowd disasters in recent years. The trial in the case is going on in a district court. So far, statements of 30 prosecution witnesses have been recorded and the 31st witness is scheduled to depose on Thursday -- the second anniversary of the tragedy. Defence counsel Munna Singh Pundhir said the case is being heard in the court of Additional District Judge Sangeeta Sharma. Police have filed a 3,200-page chargesheet against 10 accused, including Bhole Baba's chief aide Dev Prakash Madhukar, holding them responsible for the incident. Charges have been framed against all the accused and the trial has entered the evidence stage. All 10 accused -- Dev Prakash Madhukar, Mukesh Kumar, Megh Singh, Sanju Kumar, Manju Devi, Ram Ladete, Upendra Singh Yadav, Ram Prakash Shakya, Durvesh Kumar and Balveer Singh -- are currently out on bail. According to officials, there were more than 2.5 lakh people at the congregation, even though the permitted limit was 80,000. PTI COR KIS DIV DIV