‘Nothing Can Shake Our Faith’: Kin of Hathras Stampede Victims Stand By Bhole Baba

Even after losing his wife, Sonpal said that their family had deep reverence for Baba, with whom they had been associated for over two decades.

Hathras: Despite losing their loved ones in the stampede at Hathras, several devotees’ faith in the self-styled godman Surajpal, alias Bhole Baba, remains steadfast. Many of them alleged that the blame lay with the police and administration for the tragedy. They asserted that if another spiritual gathering of Bhole Baba was held in the future, they would attend it again, with some of them claiming that “nothing can shake our faith in Baba, whom we regard as a messiah.”

Seema, the wife of Sonpal Jatav from Nagla Khanji village in Kasganj, lost her life in the stampede. She had gone there with her husband and other family members. Even after losing his wife, Sonpal said that their family had deep reverence for Baba, with whom they had been associated for over two decades.

In the incident, his sister-in-law Birma Devi and daughter Kusuma were injured and are now undergoing treatment at the district hospital. Birma Devi blamed the lack of police security at the religious assembly. “If the police had been present properly and the security measures were robust, this tragedy would not have occurred,” she was quoted saying in a report by Times Of India.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to increase the amount of compensation for the victims of the Hathras stampede and demanded that those responsible for the incident be given severe punishment.

Rahul Gandhi Writes To UP CM Adityanath

In a letter to Adityanath, the former Congress chief said the compensation should be given as soon as possible and the injured be given proper treatment. A total of 121 people, mostly women, died in the stampede at self-styled godman Baba Bhole’s ‘satsang’ in Hathras on Tuesday.

Gandhi had met the victims of the stampede in Hathras here on Friday morning. Adityanath earlier announced that the families of the deceased would receive Rs 2 lakh each and the injured would receive Rs 50,000 each in compensation.

In his letter to Adityanath dated July 6, Gandhi said, “The compensation announced by the Uttar Pradesh government is very inadequate. I urge that the amount of compensation be increased and it should be given as soon as possible.”

At the same time, the injured should be given proper treatment and they should also be given proper compensation, the Congress leader said.

“I am shocked by the news of the death of more than 120 people in the stampede incident in Hathras. I am writing this letter to you with pain in my heart and I know that you too must be feeling the same pain,” he said.

Gandhi said he had met many aggrieved families of Aligarh and Hathras districts and tried to share their pain.

(With inputs from agencies)