Witnesses say a disastrous stampede began when devotees began chasing after a former policeman turned religious guru in the rain and mud, slipping over one another. Namita Singh meets families of the victims who say it could happen again

Somwati Devi, 60, wanted prosperity for her family: jobs for her four sons and good marriage prospects for her daughters. With her husband unemployed and unable to lift them out of poverty, she became a devotee of Bhole Baba in the hope of divine intervention.

But on 2 July, she was one of 121 people killed in a stampede at a prayer meeting organised by spiritual leader, who reinvented himself as a religious figure after retiring as a police constable.

“Her blind faith has killed her,” her son Brijesh Kumar, 32, tells The Independent. “She just wanted some stability and success” for all of her eight children.

Ravi Kumar, 30, saw how the disaster began after dropping off his uncle at the gathering in Hathras, in northern India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh.

“After the congregation was over, people ran after him (Bhole Baba) to collect the soil that his feet touched in the hope that their fortunes might change,” he tells The Independent. “Since there was rainfall, people slipped on top of each other,” he says. It resulted in one of the deadliest stampedes the country has seen.

Speaking from his home in Patiali, a village in Hathras not far from the scene of the stampede, Brijesh Kumar describes the moment he found out about the unfolding tragedy. “I received a call saying that my mother is unconscious but she is breathing,” Kumar says. “But someone else snatched the phone saying she is dead.

“As soon as I heard, I left for the hospital in Etah (district), where I was told she had passed away. But I was not allowed to touch her, see whether she had a slow beating heart, or if she had a pulse.

“She was put in a room with 20-25 dead people. I don’t even know whether she was alive when I reached there or if she was left to die with others.

“We have not been given any reason for how she died, even though they have done the post-mortem,” Kumar says. He holds the state administration, the organisers of the event, and the self-styled godman responsible for the stampede.

“What kind of religious preacher is he, if he could not prevent the stampede and on top of that ran from the spot,” asks Brijesh Kumar’s sister, Mangesh Bhoj, 40. “He should have shown his power. Then was the time.”

Police say the organisers had permission for a gathering of 80,000 people but around 250,000 turned up.

“Why were additional forces not called when the number of people crossed the limit? Why was there no first-aid? Why were there no ambulances in place? Many could have been saved,” says Kumar’s brother-in-law Vikram Bhoj, as he calls for police to take action against those involved in organising the gathering. “There were just 40 police personnel at the site,” he alleges, as he asks: “Do you think it is enough to manage a crowd of 250,000 people?”

The Independent approached the Hathras police headquarters but was told that the officer in charge of the investigation was not available for interview.

Bhole Baba has not been arrested, and could not be reached by The Independent prior to publication. Police have detained six of his aides involved in organising the event, and a man described as the main organiser surrendered to police. “I have faith that anyone who created the chaos will not be spared,” said Bhole Baba in a statement to news agency ANI, as he blamed the stampede on “anti-social elements”.

A three-member judicial commission team has been formed to investigate any administrative lapses that may have contributed to the tragedy.

In the initial days of his rise to fame, Bhole Baba claimed he could bring the dead back to life and even tried to take away the body of a 16-year-old girl from a crematorium, promising a miracle for her family, police told Reuters. Authorities intervened and the matter was closed.

Born Suraj Pal, Bhole Baba – whose name loosely translates to “innocent spiritual guide” – has unexplained wealth, including a sprawling network of 24 ashrams, a fleet of luxury cars and assets, which are estimated to cost at least Rs1bn (£93m). His empire is overseen by Shri Narayan Hari Sakar Charitable Trust, reported the Hindustan Times, citing police sources.

He maintains a significant following despite reports that he left the police due to a 1997 allegation of sexual assault. News channel NDTV reported that the case saw him serve jailtime, after which he reinvented himself as a spiritual leader. He has denied being fired from the police, and tells his supporters he took voluntary retirement.

Usually appearing clad in a white three-piece suit, tie, and fashionable glasses, Bhole Baba’s appearance means he stands out among a sea of preachers in India’s crowded divinity scene.

“The case against him is fake,” says one of his followers, speaking close to his ashram in Patiali.

Hari Om, 53, lives in Bhole Baba’s ashram along with 25 other people, spread over hundreds of acres. “I became his devotee about 12 years ago,” Mr Om says. There are seven to eight rooms on one side where the ashram residents live, while there are several handpumps on the other side, where devotees and aides bathe.

The ashram is otherwise relatively empty, and devoid of modern day conveniences. In the verandah are pineapple, lemon and mango trees – some bearing fruit. There is not a single picture of Bhole Baba in the ashram, but his name flashes in red on a hoarding hanging on a school building, which Mr Om says is run by a charitable trust.

“We were facing issues,” says Mr Om, speaking of how his family came to follow the preacher. With a little prodding, he elaborates, “Demons and ghosts used to possess my children. We went to different religious gurus but nothing could be done.

“But since the time I became his devotee, my children have been doing well, they are all educated, are married and have jobs,” he says.

On being asked if he ever went to a doctor to get the children checked for medical issues, he says: “Doctors can only treat diseases, not paranormal activities. But when we took our children to other gurus, they just took money and were never cured.”

Karishma Rajkumar, 24, lives close to the ashram in Patiali and says she has been associated with the preacher since birth. “We are leading a fine life and are healthy and hearty,” she says, attributing this to Bhloe Baba’s influence.

On being asked if she holds him responsible for the stampede, she says, “How is it Bhole Baba’s fault? He wanted the congregation of only 80,000 people. If thrice the number come and participate, such a thing will happen. How is he responsible for this?”

Ravi Kumar, the stampede witness, tells The Independent: “The poor people, who seldom have luck in their favour and often struggle because of government apathy, are of the belief that Bhole Baba could help alleviate their pain.

“You cannot blame them for hoping that their life condition might improve or diseases might go away,” he says.

Vinod Singh lost his daughter, wife and mother to the stampede, and says he blames Bhole Baba for what happened to his family. The 45-year-old from Sokhna village had to cremate eight-year-old Bhoomi, his 40-year-old wife Raj Kumari and his 70-year-old mother Jaimanti Devi all in one day last Wednesday.

They had all gone to attend the Satsang – religious congregation – addressed by the preacher. During the stampede, the three of them got separated.

Singh was about 175km away in Bareilly on a job hunt when the stampede happened, and he received a phone call from home. He made his way back as fast as he could, but his younger brother ran straight to the scene and was able to find the body of Bhoomi, who was being put in an ambulance. “She was dead,” Singh recalls tearfully.

The family had no idea what happened to his mother until midnight, when a neighbour admitted to a different hospital in the city of Agra spotted spotted her body being carried away, confirming the family’s worst fears.

“Our home is destroyed now. There is no one left. My daughter, wife and mother are all gone now. I do not know what to do. In one day I had to cremate three pieces of my heart.”

“I say that such a congregation should be shut down altogether. They are so poorly organised. If it can happen at our house, to us, then it can happen to anyone else.”