India stampede: Families of victims accuse authorities of abandoning people to die

The families of those who died in a tragic stampede at a Hindu religious event in northern India say authorities abandoned their dear ones to perish in the muck and on the floors of hospitals because of a shortage of medical personnel and ambulances.

More than 120 individuals lost their lives during the religious assembly for a self-styled Hindu guru, known as Bhole Baba, which consisted of approximately 250,000 attendees.

The surge of devotees led to panic, resulting in numerous individuals falling over in the wet conditions.

The incident has incited fury in India and raised doubts about the absence of security measures.

A police report following the incident said authorization was given for 80,000 individuals, yet over three times that amount were present at the location in a village in Hathras in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Local organizers were held responsible for the overwhelming crowd.

Family members and witnesses say that police, government officials, and a medical facility were slow to respond to the stampede. They had to search for the victims in the mud and transport them for medical attention due to a shortage of emergency services at the scene.

Some people detailed the circumstances in which many of the injured were neglected on hospital floors due to a shortage of beds and doctors, leading to allegations that several individuals died due to a lack of immediate medical attention.

Surya Prakash, the medical superintendent of the district hospital in Hathras, said the facility was not equipped to handle a crisis of such magnitude.

“It was very difficult for us to handle the situation because of the panic and crowd in the hospital,” said Prakash. “It was difficult to manage the crowd and then treat patients.” 

Bhole Baba presiding over a packed assembly has refuted any accusations and vowed to assist in the police inquiry.

The whereabouts of the guru, known as Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari, have not been disclosed since the incident. However, his lawyer released a statement on Wednesday, alleging that "antisocial elements" are behind a plot to incite panic.

Onlookers recounted how individuals stumbled and tumbled over one another as a large crowd surged towards the preacher while he exited the location.

Survivors recounted that several individuals who were sitting or crouching on the ground were crushed as people pursued his vehicle.

On Thursday, six people were apprehended by law enforcement in India in relation to the tragic stampede.

According to police, the event organizers, consisting of four men and two women who were aides to Baba, fled the scene when the crush happened.

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