Lagatar24 Desk
Hathras(UP): Sheela Maurya, a police constable deployed at Bhole Baba’s event in Hathras, recounted the chaos of the stampede that occurred due to overcrowding. On Thursday, she described how the incident unfolded, leading to numerous injuries.
Maurya, who was injured and hospitalised, had been stationed at the front of the stage during the event on July 2. “There was too large a crowd there. The heat was intense. People wanted to leave but ended up toppling over each other. I saw many women falling and rushed to help them,” she told ANI.
In her attempt to assist, Maurya herself fell and sustained significant injuries. “I tried to help many women up and then ended up falling over myself. I got injured quite a lot,” she added.
When asked about the cause of the chaos, she pointed to the massive crowd and the simultaneous attempt by everyone to exit the venue. She also mentioned that recent rains had made the ground muddy, complicating the evacuation. “There are farmlands there; that’s how people tried to make it out,” she explained.
Maurya described the scene as one of hopelessness, with people falling all around her as she tried to save them but ultimately became a victim of the stampede herself. “It was very difficult to survive; all around me, people were falling,” she told ANI.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Maurya, listening to her account of what transpired at the Hathras event.
