Old video from Uttar Pradesh's Mathura shared as visuals from Hathras stampede

What is the claim?

Several users on social media have shared a video of a tightly packed crowd, with people seen struggling to stand up and get out, claiming that it shows the stampede in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras that claimed the lives of at least 121 people. The incident happened on July 2, 2024, during a spiritual gathering organized by a self-styled preacher, Narayan Sakar Hari, also known as ‘Bhole Baba’.  

The now-viral video was shared with a caption, “At least 116 people, mostly women, lost their lives in a stampede during a religious event in Hathras district, Uttar Pradesh.” Archive links of similar posts can be found here and here. 

Screenshot of the claim circulating online (Source:X/ Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the video is from March and reportedly shows a stampede-like situation at a pre-Holi event in Matura, Uttar Pradesh.

What did we find?

A reverse image search on the visuals led us to a video report published by English news channel NDTV on March 17, 2024. The report carried the same video and mentioned that a 'stampede broke' out during a pre-holi event in Mathura, a city in Uttar Pradesh. It mentioned that the incident occured at the Shreeji Temple, where at least six devotees fell unconscious and many others were injured.

 Screenshot of the NDTV report. (Source: NDTV)

Another report published in LiveMint quoted a witness as saying that the incident happened during Ladoo Holi celebrations. Holi is a festival of colors celebrated by the Hindu community in the early months of the year. 

The Mathura police had also issued a statement on X (archived here) about the March 17, 2024 incident. Senior Superintendent of Police (SP) of Mathura Shailesh Pandey said that it was not a stampede but a situation of overcrowding, as lakhs of devotees were in attendance.

The stampede in Hathras

At least 121 people were killed and 300 injured in the stampede at the spiritual event organized in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras.

According to The Indian Express, over 2.5 lakh people had gathered for the event when the permitted limit was 80,000. After the fatal stampede, the government announced a compensation of Rs two lakh for the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered a probe into the incident and on July 4, the police arrested six people, four men and two women, said to be members of the organizing committee of the event. The main accused, chief organizer Devprakash Madhukar, is said to be on the run. The host of the event Narayan Sakar Hari, a constable-turned-spiritual preacher, has not yet been named in the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the police.

The verdict

Visuals from March 2024 showing a tightly packed crowd at a pre-Holi event in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, have been shared as a video of the recent Hathras stampede in Uttar Pradesh.