Twelve-year-old Kishori was lost in daze outside the ashram, separated from her mother and two aunts in the stampede that left at least 65 people dead today and unsure of their fate.
The four were among thousands of people-- the poorest of the poor-- who had gathered to eat food at a community kitchen and collect a steel plate, Rs 10, a laddu and a handkerchief,-- distributed by popular godman Kripalu Maharaj at his ashram on the "Shradh" (post-death rites) of his wife every year.
But this year, police claimed, the function saw an unprecedented crowd leading to the stampede.
A mound of slippers on the site bore a grim testimony to the tragedy so also the two narrow pathways barricaded by bamboos leading to the ashram.
Eyewitnesses said that there were separate lines for men and women leading to the ashram. But as a gate fell due to pressure from the surging crowd at around 9.30 AM, the ashram officials allegedly started pushing back the crowd. The women
panicked and ran with their children in tow, triggering the stampede.
Locals claim that there were no police personnel present during the function. However, inspector general of police(Allahabad Range) Chandra Prakash said it was an annual function and that an adequate deployment had been made but the turnout was much more that expected
Police cordoned off the ashram site, 60 kms from here. Unable to get any information about the fate of their loved ones, hapless family members were seen wailing outside the ashram long after the incident-- their hope of seeing their relatives diminishing with every passing moment.
Though the district administration said it had released a list of those killed, people claimed it was not made available to them.
Angry relatives of victims alleged they were not being allowed to look for their loved ones. All the gates of the ashram were closed after the incident and people were barred from entering the premises.
"The gates are usually kept open on the day. But after the incident they have closed all of them and are not letting us inside. What are they hiding?" said a wailing man.
Nearly five hours after the incident, Kishori was still looking for her mother and two aunts. "We were standing in the queue when people started pushing and suddenly everyone started running. I could not understand what was happening," she said.
Many of those present during the incident accused the police of apathy. Several hours after the stampede, cavalcades of VVIPS, including UP ministers Nazeemuddin Siddique and Swami Prasad Maurya, started arriving. Local MLA Raja Bhaiya also visited the site.
Some of those injured were treated at the ashram dispensary.
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