India stampede: police arrest 6 after more than 120 people killed in religious rush
- The four men and two women arrested were aides of the preacher who spoke at the event that culminated in the stampede
Indian police said on Thursday they had arrested six people in connection with the stampede at a Hindu religious event in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh this week in which 121 people were killed.
The stampede happened on Tuesday in Phulrai Mughal Garhi village of Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district, where about 250,000 people had gathered to listen to preacher Suraj Pal Singh, also known as “Bhole Baba”.
The organisers of the event had taken permission for a gathering of only 80,000 people, an initial police report said.
Baba said in a statement on Wednesday that the stampede was caused by “antisocial elements” but did not elaborate.
The four men and two women arrested were aides of Baba and were involved in organising the event that culminated in the stampede, police said.
“When the stampede situation happened, all these people who organised [the event] fled from the spot,” Uttar Pradesh police inspector-general Shalabh Mathur told reporters.