Hyderabad: In one of the worst tragedies, 121 people, most of them women and children, died in a stampede at a Hindu religious congregation in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh on July 2. The stampede took place around 3:30 pm, as Baba was leaving the venue.According to police reports, about 2.5 lakh people had gathered in the village at the time of the stampede, which was triple the number allowed by the authorities.An FIR has been filed by the Uttar Pradesh Police against the organizers of religious congregations.The fatalities were among the thousands of people who had assembled for the religious preacher Bhole Baba’s “Satsang” near Phulrai village in the Sikandrarau area.Here is a list of major stampedes that occurred over the years in India:August 3, 2008: A stampede at the Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, claimed the lives of 122 persons.September 2008: A total of 250 people were trampled to death when devotees congregated at the Chadmundagar temple in the northern desert state of Rajasthan to celebrate Navratri, a nine-day festival honoring the Goddess Durga.March 2010: At least 63 people, more than half of them were children died in a stampede, at a Hindu temple in Uttar Pradesh. The stampede was started by a huge rush for free food and clothing, according to media reports.January 2011: 106 people were killed and more than 40 were injured in a stampede when a jeep collided with homebound pilgrims at Pullumedu in Kerala’s Idukki district.February 2013: At least 36 Hindu pilgrims lost their lives in a stampede, during the busiest day of the Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh, which attracts over 100 million visitors over two months.November 2013: 115 people were killed and more than 100 were injured, in a stampede as over 1.5 lakh people were gathered to celebrate Navratri at the Ratangarh temple of Madhya Pradesh.January 2022: 12 people were killed and many were injured in a stampede, as a massive throng of worshippers attempted to enter the shrine through its tiny entrance, at the Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir.March 2023: About 36 individuals lost their lives during the Ram Navami celebrations in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
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