Hathras Stampede: Six, Including ‘Satsang’ Organizer Arrested After 121 Die in Tragedy

New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday arrested six people, including one of the organisers, in a satsang or prayer meeting that ended in a deadly stampede in Hathras. The deadly stampede in Hathras on Tuesday that claimed over 100 lives occurred at a congregation of Baba Narayan Hari alias Saakar Vishwa Hari ‘Bhole Baba’, a former policeman who turned into a religious preacher two decades ago and gained a following, especially in western Uttar Pradesh.

The real name of Bhole Baba is Surajpal. He is a native of Bahadur Nagar in Kasganj district, a retired IPS officer said. Circle Officer (CO) of Patiyali Vijay Kumar Rana told PTI that Surjpal left his job as a policeman in the late 1990s and turned to spirituality. He started conducting ‘satsang’ (religious sermons). One of Surajpal’s three brothers died and he set up a Trust and appointed a caretaker for his property in Bahadurgarh where his ashram is located, the CO said.

The bodies of all victims of the Hathras stampede have been identified and handed over to their families, District Magistrate Ashish Kumar said today. “The last body was identified by the family over a video call. They are on their way to Aligarh hospital (to get the body),” the district magistrate added.

The Uttar Pradesh government has announced a monetary relief of ₹ 2 lakh to the family members of the dead and Rs 50,000 for those injured.