Mass panic at religious gathering in India leaves at least 116 dead

New Delhi — A stampede during a religious gathering in the central Indian state of Uttar Pradesh killed at least 116 people on Tuesday, police said. Most of the victims appeared to be women, but authorities are still trying to ascertain the number of victims admitted to various hospitals in the region.

The stampede occurred during a “satsang,” a prayer gathering, hosted by a Hindu guru, in Rati Bhanpur village in the state’s Hathras region. Thousands of the guru’s followers turned up to listen to his sermon and huddled under tents to avoid the glaring sun before panic broke out and people started running.

NOTE: This article contains images of death that some readers may find disturbing.

Hathras District Magistrate Ashish Kumar said the local health centre had confirmed between 50 and 60 deaths among the district’s residents alone, and Uttar Pradesh Inspector General of Police Shalabh Mathur later confirmed at least 116 deaths in total.

The reason for the panic was initially unclear, but some eyewitnesses told local media that the mass panic broke out after the event ended and people hurriedly left the venue.

Numerous videos were shown on social media showing dozens of bodies, mostly women, being taken to regional hospitals.

Uttar Pradesh state’s top official, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, ordered an investigation into the incident after residents expressed anger and alleged that adequate precautions were not taken for the large gathering, which took place in hot and humid weather.

Senior police officer Shalabh Mathur said there was a “temporary permit” for the religious event, hosted by the local guru, a Hindu preacher named Bhole Baba.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Uttar Pradesh state government was providing all possible assistance to the victims.

Opposition Congress leader Pawan Khera accused the state government, led by Modi’s Bhartiya Janata Party, of being unprepared for the event, saying the hospitals where the injured were taken did not have enough doctors or facilities to treat them.

Mass panics at religious events are not uncommon in India, as the gatherings are usually privately organized and often no adequate security or control measures are in place.

One of the deadliest stampedes at a religious gathering in India occurred in 2005, when more than 340 people died at the Mandhardevi Temple in the western state of Maharashtra. Another stampede at the Chamunda Devi Temple in the state of Rajasthan in 2008 killed more than 250 people. In the same year, a stampede at a religious gathering at the Naina Devi Temple in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh killed more than 160 people.