Eyewitnesses say Baba’s call for ‘Charanraj’ led to Hathras stampede

Lucknow: Eyewitnesses who testified before the three-member Judicial Commission investigating the Hathras stampede incident attributed the disaster to the rush to touch Baba’s feet and collect Charanraj, compounded by the negligence of sevadars and security personnel.

One witness mentioned that Baba had advised the crowd to take Charanraj (dust from his feet) after the Satsang. “People went to get the Charanraj and fell on each other, causing the stampede,” the witness stated.

At least 34 eyewitnesses recorded their statements over four hours before the judicial inquiry commission led by retired Allahabad High Court judge Brijesh Kumar Srivastava. The commission is investigating the tragic Satsang accident that resulted in 121 deaths due to a stampede.

Brajbihari Kaushik from Sikandrarao recounted his experience during the incident. “When Baba started leaving the stage after the Satsang, the crowd began running after him. A stampede broke out. When we tried to stop the crowd and save people, Baba’s security personnel did not let us go and stopped us,” he said.

Kaushal Pratap Singh and Omveer Singh Rana echoed this sentiment, stating that the rush to touch Baba’s feet and grab flowers led to chaos. “The crowd became uncontrollable, and a stampede ensued,” they said, identifying this as the cause of the accident.

Dev Chaudhary from Hathras shared his harrowing experience upon arriving from Etah. “When I saw the stampede, I stopped. Women were crying. We picked up about 20 bodies and put them in vehicles. There was no security system or sevadar of Baba present there,” he said.

Chaudhary also mentioned that attendees told him Baba had suggested taking the dust off his feet after his discourse.