Hathras stampede 'stark reminder' of Yogi government's negligence: AIDWA

By PK Sreemathi, Mariam Dhawale*

The All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) has expressed its shock and outrage at the devastating stampede that occurred on 2 July in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh in a Satsang by self-styled godman, Narayan Saakar Vishwa Hari aka Bhole Baba. Nearly 121 people, mostly women, lost their lives in this stampede. The number of injured is known.

This tragedy is a stark reminder of the negligence of the Yogi government, who failed to ensure the safety and well-being of the people. The lack of adequate arrangements and crowd control measures led to this avoidable disaster.

The stampede was also a devastating consequence of the recklessness and negligence of these so-called spiritual leaders, who lure vulnerable people with unrealisable promises. We condemn the exploitation of faith for personal gain and demand that the government takes action against the organisers of this satsang. Although the police have lodged a FIR, Bhole Baba has not been named in it.

The lack of proper medical infrastructure and emergency response mechanisms resulted in the death of 121 people. Delayed medical attention and inadequate healthcare facilities is an outright indictment of the state’s apathy towards healthcare. The callousness of authorities by not providing adequate security measures and also preventing overcrowding of the location is a violation of the fundamental right to life of the citizens.

This incident is a wake-up call for the state to acknowledge its failures and take concrete steps to prevent such tragedies in the future.

AIDWA believes the authorities are accountable for their negligence, and has demanded justice for the victims and their families and action against the perpetrators of this stampede, even as expressing heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, who lost their lives in this tragic incident.

---

*Respectively president, general secretary

Right to walk, right to livelihood: Clearing footpaths 'can't mean' clearing out the urban poor

By Aseem Mishra* India’s cities are locked in a quiet but intensifying struggle over one of their most contested public spaces: the footpath. For pedestrians, a footpath is basic infrastructure—a strip of ground that should allow people to move safely, independently and with dignity. For millions of informal workers, the same stretch of pavement is a workplace, a source of daily income and often the difference between survival and destitution.

Women lawyers petition Supreme Court, seek reconsideration of Aug 4 order on bar council co-option

By A Representative A group of women advocates who stood sixth and seventh among female candidates in the recent Bar Council elections have filed a petition before the Supreme Court, seeking a recall and reconsideration of the Court’s August 4 order determining the mechanism for co-opting women into State Bar Councils.

A fearless spirit lost: Rebecca Thomson dies at 17-hour Catalina Swim Mark

By Harsh Thakor On July 26, 2026, Rebecca “Becky” Thomson suffered cardiac arrest while attempting the Catalina Channel Swim — a marathon open water crossing from Catalina Island to the California mainland. After swimming for 17 hours, Thomson collapsed in the water. Despite the painstaking efforts of emergency responders and the medical staff at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, she succumbed to a devastating hypoxic brain injury and died Friday evening.

Counterview

Search This Blog