"If Baba really had any powers, he would have shown a miracle that day," says Vinod, who lost three generations of his family—his mother, wife and daughter—in a stampede that claimed 121 lives during a religious congregation a year ago.
Vinod, 46, runs a shop in Sokhana village in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district and manages daily chores that come with taking care of three children.
But the grief wears him down. "Kuch nahi, bas mitti kharab ho rahi hai (There's nothing left, just my life is crumbling)." On July 2, 2024, lakhs of followers gathered for a satsang of self-styled godman Suraj Pal alias Bhole Baba in Mughal Garhi village of Sikandra Rao area. Permission was granted only for 80,000 people, but over 2.5 lakh reportedly attended.
Chaos erupted after the event when devotees surged towards Bhole Baba's vehicle, allegedly to touch his feet and the ground he walked on.
On the slippery field, the uncontrolled crowd crush left 121 dead, mostly women and children. Vinod's mother Jaywati, wife Rajkumari, and daughter Bhoomi were among them.
Jugnu from Navipur, who lost his mother Munni Devi, says the sorrow will haunt him forever. "She didn't deserve to die like that." Investigations into the stampede revealed massive lapses in planning and crowd control, with insufficient exit routes and no effective security plan.
A year on, families of victims remain devastated, the tragedy continues to be in public memory, as court hearings carry on, and the road to accountability still seems some distance away.
While Bhole Baba was questioned by a probe panel once in Lucknow, he was not named an accused. The police booked 11 of his aides, including event organiser Devprakash Madhukar, under various sections. All are currently out on bail.
The government formed a judicial commission, which submitted its report on February 21, 2025. The report gave a clean chit to Bhole Baba, stating no direct evidence linked him to the stampede.
The case is being heard in Hathras' Additional Sessions Court-1, where senior Supreme Court advocate A P Singh is representing Bhole Baba's followers.
"The incident of July 2, 2024, was a conspiracy. The police hurriedly filed a false chargesheet," Singh told PTI.
He also said that 31 hearings have taken place so far, with the next scheduled for July 19 as arguments continue over the framing of charges.
Notably, four judges have changed over the course of these hearings.
Singh said the police have filed a 3,200-page chargesheet supported by 676 witness statements. The 11 accused, including two women, who were all part of Bhole Baba's sevadars (volunteers) and engaged in managing the large event, have been granted bail by the Allahabad High Court.
After the judicial panel's probe, six government officials, including the then SDM and circle officer, were suspended for negligence. The district magistrate and superintendent of police were also transferred after the tragedy.
Following the incident, the state government announced Rs 2 lakh ex gratia for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
However, for the families of those killed, the emotional vacuum left by the loss is immeasurable. "I miss her every day," says Rekha of Sokhana village, who lost her mother-in-law in the stampede.
Naina Devi from Navipur too is devastated as she breaks down remembering her mother-in-law who also died in last year's stampede.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.