Indian preacher addresses public following stampede in Hathras
Date
7/18/2024 4:54:59 AM
(MENAFN) An Indian preacher, Bhole Baba, spoke publicly for the first time since the tragic stampede on July 2nd, which claimed the lives of more than 120 people following a sermon he delivered in Hathras, a northern city. Baba, a former police constable turned preacher, expressed deep distress over the incident but emphasized the inevitability of fate and the certainty of death.
"I am very distressed by what happened, but who can possibly challenge fate?" Baba remarked during his media appearance at one of his monasteries in Kasganj, located about 60 kilometers from the site of the stampede. "Whoever comes to this earth has to go one day — it is only a matter of when."
The prayer meeting, attended by an estimated 250,000 devotees, far exceeded the authorized capacity, leading to overcrowding and tragic consequences, predominantly among women attendees. Baba's lawyer had earlier pointed fingers at "anti-social elements" within the crowd for the chaos that ensued.
Following the stampede, a police report identified several organizers of the prayer gathering for potential arrest, although Bhole Baba himself was not named. However, 11 volunteers associated with him have been arrested thus far.
Tragically, religious gatherings in India have a troubling history of deadly incidents caused by inadequate crowd management and safety oversights. In 2008, for instance, 224 pilgrims lost their lives and over 400 were injured in a stampede at a hilltop temple in Jodhpur, highlighting recurring challenges with crowd control during large-scale religious events.
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