In the aftermath of the 2024 Hathras stampede tragedy, where over 120 people lost their lives and many were hospitalized during an alleged spiritual event in Uttar Pradesh held on 02 July 2024, some visuals (here & here) have surfaced claiming to depict the incident. This article aims to verify the authenticity of these videos.
Video 1:
A video (here, here & here) showing a crowd trying to escape a stampede is being shared as visuals from the Hathras incident.
Claim: Visuals of crowd at 2024 Hathras stampede.
Fact: Visuals depict a stampede-like situation that occurred during a pre-Holi event at the Shreeji Temple in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, on 17 March 2024. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to a news report (archive) from NDTV in March 2024 featuring the same visuals. According to this report, a stampede-like situation occurred during a pre-Holi event at the Shreeji Temple in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, on 17 March 2024. The incident resulted in at least six devotees falling unconscious, with injuries reported among the crowd. Several media outlets also covered the incident. Mathura SSP Shailesh Pandey said that lakhs of devotees had turned up at the temple and the police teams at the spot managed the situation effectively.
To sum up, an old video from Mathura is being shared as visuals of the Hathras stampede.
Video 2:
A video (here, here and here) depicting a massive crowd is circulating as footage just before the Hathras tragedy.
Claim: Footage showing the moments before the Hathras Stampede incident.
Fact: The video is from another event hosted by Narayan Sarkar Hari in Rajasthan in February 2024, unrelated to the Hathras stampede. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to the original video (archive), posted on the YouTube channel “Travel Sachin” on 09 February 2024. The video title indicates it documents a religious event by Narayan Sarkar Hari (aka Bhole Baba) in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. This channel also covered several other videos from this event.
Further research, including geolocation and additional visuals (here & here), confirmed that the footage captures Narayan Sarkar Hari’s event in Rupwas town in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan on 06 February 2024. It is crucial to note that the Hathras tragedy occurred during a similar event by Narayan Sarkar Hari in Uttar Pradesh. However, as clarified by the evidence presented, the viral footage predates the Hathras incident by nearly five months and does not depict it. Visuals of the Hathras incident, as reported in the media, can be seen here and here.
To sum up, an old video from Narayan Sarkar Hari’s event in Rajasthan is being misrepresented as footage from the Hathras stampede incident.
