One yr after Hathras stampede, households nonetheless in mourning as authorized battle continues

Vinod, 46, runs a store in Sokhana village in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district and manages every day chores that include caring for three youngsters.

But the grief wears him down. “Kuch nahi, bas mitti kharab ho rahi hai .”

On July 2, 2024, lakhs of followers gathered for a satsang of self-styled godman Suraj Pal alias Bhole Baba in Mughal Garhi village of Sikandra Rao space. Permission was granted just for 80,000 individuals, however over 2.5 lakh reportedly attended.

Chaos erupted after the occasion when devotees surged in the direction of Bhole Baba’s automobile, allegedly to the touch his ft and the bottom he walked on.

On the slippery subject, the uncontrolled crowd crush left 121 lifeless, largely girls and youngsters. Vinod’s mom Jaywati, spouse Rajkumari, and daughter Bhoomi had been amongst them.

Jugnu from Navipur, who misplaced his mom Munni Devi, says the sorrow will hang-out him endlessly. “She didn’t deserve to die like that.”

Investigations into the stampede revealed large lapses in planning and crowd management, with inadequate exit routes and no efficient safety plan.

A yr on, households of victims stay devastated, the tragedy continues to be in public reminiscence, as court docket hearings keep it up, and the highway to accountability nonetheless appears a ways away.

While Bhole Baba was questioned by a probe panel as soon as in Lucknow, he was not named an accused. The police booked 11 of his aides, together with occasion organiser Devprakash Madhukar, below varied sections. All are presently out on bail.

The authorities fashioned a judicial fee, which submitted its report on February 21, 2025. The report gave a clear chit to Bhole Baba, stating no direct proof linked him to the stampede.

The case is being heard in Hathras’ Additional Sessions Court-1, the place senior Supreme Court advocate A P Singh is representing Bhole Baba’s followers.

“The incident of July 2, 2024, was a conspiracy. The police hurriedly filed a false chargesheet,” Singh instructed PTI.

He additionally stated that 31 hearings have taken place up to now, with the subsequent scheduled for July 19 as arguments proceed over the framing of expenses.

Notably, 4 judges have modified over the course of those hearings.

Singh stated the police have filed a 3,200-page chargesheet supported by 676 witness statements. The 11 accused, together with two girls, who had been all a part of Bhole Baba’s sevadars and engaged in managing the big occasion, have been granted bail by the Allahabad High Court.

After the judicial panel’s probe, six authorities officers, together with the then SDM and circle officer, had been suspended for negligence. The district Justice of the Peace and superintendent of police had been additionally transferred after the tragedy.

Following the incident, the state authorities introduced ₹2 lakh ex gratia for the households of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured.

However, for the households of these killed, the emotional vacuum left by the loss is immeasurable. “I miss her every day,” says Rekha of Sokhana village, who misplaced her mother-in-law within the stampede.

Naina Devi from Navipur too is devastated as she breaks down remembering her mother-in-law who additionally died in final yr’s stampede.

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