Stampede at Hathras Religious Event: Constable Sheela Maurya’s Brave Efforts

A tragic stampede occurred at a religious event in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, resulting in the death of 123 people. Constable Sheela Maurya, who was on security duty, described how the stampede happened when a large crowd tried to exit the venue together. Despite her efforts to help many women, she also fell and got injured.

Sheela Maurya explained, “I was deputed in front of the stage. There was a huge crowd there after the event concluded. People started falling over each other. I helped many women but later even I fell and suffered injuries. The problem was that there was a huge crowd and everyone started exiting the venue together. At the time, I was only trying to save people. The CM asked me about the incident yesterday.”

The ground was muddy due to rain, making it difficult for people to leave. Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh Police conducted a search operation at Ram Kutir Charitable Trust in Mainpuri for ‘Bhole Baba’, a self-styled godman who led the event. An FIR has been registered against the organizers, but ‘Bhole Baba’ has not been named yet.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mainpuri Sunil Kumar stated, “Baba has not been found inside the ashram. There are 40-50 sevadars inside the ashram. He (‘Bhole Baba’) is not inside, neither he was yesterday nor he is today.” SP City Rahul Mithas added, “I had come to check the security of the ashram. Nobody was found here.”

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the site and ordered a judicial probe. A three-member Judicial Inquiry Commission, led by Justice (retd) Brijesh Kumar Srivastava, will investigate the incident over the next two months and submit a report to the State Government. The preacher ‘Bhole Baba’, identified as Suraj Pal, is also known by the names Narayan Sakar Hari and Jagat Guru Vishwahari.