Hathras Stampede: Vinod’s Loss in Baba Bholenath’s Satsang

OutlookIndia

Rakhi Bose, Assistant Editor with Outlook, reports from Hathras, where a stampede at Baba Bholenath's satsang claimed 121 lives, including Vinod’s mother, wife, and daughter.   The event was overwhelmed with 2.5 to 3 lakh attendees, far beyond the 80,000 limit. Survivors share stories of chaos, lost loved ones, and lack of safety measures. The FIR omits the organisers and Baba Bholenath, sparking local outrage and demands for accountability and compensation.  Reporter: Rakhi Bose Videographer: Mayank Makhija Producer: Divya Tiwari  Follow us: Website: https://www.outlookindia.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outlookindia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outlookindia/ X: https://twitter.com/Outlookindia Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaNrF3v0AgWLA6OnJH0R Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlookMagazine Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/outlookindia  #Hathras #FulraiTragedy #Stampede #BabaBholenath #Satsang #HathrasStampade

Transcript

00:00Raining.

00:07Call up a neighbour, otherwise it'll rain heavily.

00:10I went out of home a few days ago.

00:12Why didn't you come back?

00:14I told them to call me.

00:17That it'll be raining all the time.

00:19And that my mother will be out of reach.

00:22I'm not sure where she is.

00:24I just don't know where she is.

00:25This is Rakhi Bose, Assistant Editor with Outlook and right now I am in Hathras in the village

00:36of Phulrai, Mughalgarhi, where yesterday about 121 people officially have lost their lives

00:42and of them about 114 of them are women and 7 are children and there is one man who is

00:47deceased.

00:48This is the location where it happened, there was a stampede during the satsang, it is being

00:52said that the stampede happened during the satsang of Baba Bholenath who is a religious

00:57godman here, locally known, locally revered.

00:59We visited the families of the deceased, one of them is Vinod who lost his mother, his

01:06wife as well as his 9-year-old daughter in the stampede yesterday.

01:10My name is Vinod, my mother used to come to the satsang, she was with us for 5-7 years.

01:20She wanted to join us as well but we did not allow her to join us.

01:25Sometimes she used to tell my wife and sometimes she used to leave.

01:29She has gone once or twice.

01:31My mother has gone, my wife, my daughter, 9-10 years old, my daughter-in-law, my daughter-in-law.

01:44Two days ago I went out of the house, I told her to call me, I told her to talk to me.

01:56I told her that your mother has passed away, I told her that I don't know where she is.

02:03I got her photo, I told her that I am coming.

02:11I told her about my princess and I told her that I have gone with Lalli.

02:18I told her that I don't know where she is.

02:23I woke up at 6 in the morning, I came here at 11.30 or 12.

02:30I didn't find my mother, I got the news about her but I didn't find her.

02:35I went to the hospital but I didn't find her.

02:42I went to Lalli, Ligand, I went to find my brother.

02:46I ran all night.

02:50I found my mother in Agra.

02:57I ran all night.

02:59I am broken.

03:08My name is Dev Singh.

03:10The girl who passed away, her husband's name is Lala Ram.

03:14And your daughter's?

03:15Kamlesh.

03:18What happened?

03:19She passed away in the middle of the road.

03:23I don't know how she passed away.

03:26Who was with her?

03:28Her husband.

03:30And two people from the village.

03:32The girl?

03:34How old was the girl?

03:36The girl was around 7 months old.

03:38The one who passed away.

03:40There is a lot of carelessness.

03:42If there is a lack of police, then what?

03:44If there is a lack of police, then what?

03:46There is carelessness.

03:48If there was no carelessness,

03:50then why would these roads be built?

04:10There were children with me.

04:12I was overwhelmed.

04:14The children were overwhelmed.

04:16There was a crowd here from a distance.

04:18Guruji had come.

04:20There was a crowd with him.

04:22Whatever people came, they came with him.

04:24There was so much crowd here

04:26in the middle of the road.

04:28I couldn't walk.

04:30My feet kept shaking.

04:32Those who fell, couldn't get up.

04:34There was no organizer here.

04:36Everyone was saving their own lives.

04:40There are a number of people

04:42who have suffered serious injuries.

04:44The FIR, however, does not mention

04:46the organizing body which is

04:48Jagrat Guna Sakaar Vishwa Hari.

04:50Baba Bholenath has also not been

04:52mentioned in the FIR.

04:54The incident that took place yesterday,

04:56due to the crowd,

04:58in Bhagadadi,

05:00one after the other,

05:02this incident took place.

05:04When we went to the village,

05:06there was a crowd.

05:08When the villagers came to know

05:10that this incident had taken place,

05:12some people in our group

05:14called us

05:16and told us to inform them.

05:18Some contacted us by phone,

05:20some by mail,

05:22then some reached us.

05:24Then we all searched.

05:26Somewhere it was here,

05:28somewhere it was there,

05:30somewhere it was in Agra.

05:34If you tell us about Baba,

05:36why is Baba so important here?

05:38Baba's satsang

05:40has been going on

05:42for a long time.

05:44Devotees have joined.

05:46What do they feel?

05:50They go.

05:52There is some benefit

05:54when they go.

05:56People here are complaining

05:58about lack of assistance

06:00from police on the day.

06:02Many are now demanding compensation

06:04and proper investigation into the matter.

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Transcript

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