'RUSH OF DEVOTEES CUT OFF NH-91 FOR 5 KM'

Godman's security pushed crowd trying to collect mud after Bhole Baba left the venue which led to stampede, say eyewitnesses

- PRABHAT SHUKLA

CHAOS caused after followers of Narayan Sakaar Hari (Bhole Baba) were pushed by the godman's security and a slippery slope resulted in the stampede at a satsang event at Phulrai village in UP's Hathras district on Tuesday which killed 121 people, eyewitnesses and preliminary government report said.

"By the time I arrived at the site at around 6 pm, I could see dozens of bodies piled up on both sides of the highway," said Manu Singh, a resident of the nearby Iqbalpur village.

Locals say that the crowd was so large that the National Highway-91, near which the event took place, was completely closed for 5 km on both sides and occupied, with buses carrying devotees from far-off places. As a result, they say, ambulances took roughly an hour to reach the spot after the stampede, forcing people to arrange for private vehicles to reach nearby hospitals.