One Year After Hathras Tragedy: Grief Still Fresh, Justice Still Distant for the Families Left Behind
A year has passed since the devastating stampede in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district, yet for many families, time has stood still.
The memories of July 2, 2024—the day 121 lives, mostly women and children, were lost in a tragic stampede during a religious gathering—continue to haunt those left behind.
Amidst the ongoing court proceedings and administrative responses, what remains is a trail of grief, loss, and unanswered questions.
For Vinod, a 46-year-old shopkeeper from Sokhana village, life has become a daily act of survival. He lost three generations of his family that day—his mother Jaywati, wife Rajkumari, and 10-year-old daughter Bhoomi.
“If Baba had powers, he would have shown a miracle that day,” Vinod says, eyes heavy with sorrow and disbelief. He now shoulders the burden of raising his remaining three children alone, performing both parental roles with a heart broken by tragedy.
“Kuch nahi, bas mitti kharab ho rahi hai,” he murmurs—a Hindi expression conveying the quiet crumbling of his life.
On that fateful day, over 2.5 lakh devotees had gathered for a religious satsang held by self-styled godman Suraj Pal, also known as Bhole Baba, in Mughal Garhi village.
The authorities had granted permission for just 80,000 people. As the event concluded and the crowd surged towards Baba’s vehicle—hoping to touch his feet or the path he walked on—chaos erupted.
On the slippery ground, people fell and were trampled in the frenzy. Within minutes, dreams, families, and lives were shattered.
Among those grieving is Jugnu from Navipur village, who lost his mother, Munni Devi. “She didn’t deserve to die like that,” he says, his voice tinged with bitterness and helplessness.
Rekha, also from Sokhana, still mourns the loss of her mother-in-law. “There is not a day when I don’t think of her,” she says. Naina Devi from Navipur breaks down when recalling the final moments of her mother-in-law, who also perished in the crowd.
Pain Beyond Compensation
The Uttar Pradesh government responded by announcing an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh for the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for those injured. But to those who lost loved ones, no monetary relief can fill the void.
For them, what remains is unbearable silence at dinner tables, empty rooms, and the trauma of knowing their loss came not from nature or fat, but from negligence.
Investigations into the incident pointed to serious failures in planning and crowd control.
Exit routes were inadequate, and security arrangements were far from sufficient for an event of such magnitude. Still, Bhole Baba—the central figure of the event—has not been formally accused.
Instead, 11 of his aides, including the event organizer Devprakash Madhukar, were booked under various legal sections.
All have since been released on bail, as confirmed by their legal representative A.P. Singh, a senior Supreme Court advocate, who claims the tragedy was part of a larger conspiracy and that the police chargesheet was hurried and flawed.
