Sudha Devi survived India's most deadly accident in more than a decade.
On Tuesday, at least 122 people were crushed to death at a religious ceremony in Uttar Pradesh, most of them women.
Ms Devi, 30, and her four-year-old son Evansh attended the gathering in Hathras in India’s northern state to hear sermons from a popular “godman” when a commotion started in the crowd.
She passed out then recovered to find herself buried under scores of people, gasping for breath.
“I became unconscious. When I regained my senses, my son was not with me. Some people were screaming that this woman was dead. They were throwing water on my face. I was crying and asking them where my son was,” Ms Devi told The National.
Some people helped her to her feet.
“I frantically started looking for Evansh everywhere, even checked where some children were sitting but I could not find him,” she said.
“I was hitting my head in frustration and just collapsed on the ground. Then somebody came and dropped him in my lap. He was dead.”
Tuesday's journey was a long-awaited outing for Ms Devi from neighbouring Kasganj district, who has been a devout follower of policeman-turned-Hindu preacher Narayan Sakar Hari, known as Bhole Baba.
She said a commotion began after the sermon ended and some women started running after the preacher.
“I thought I could keep away from the crowd but they pulled me down with them,” she said.
Conflicting accounts about what led to the incident have emerged. One said that of a group of women ran after the preacher to seek his blessings.
Initial police investigations blamed an uncontrolled crowd for the incident. The government has ordered a high-level investigation to determine the cause of so many deaths.
More than 250,000 people, nearly three times the permitted number, had gathered for the congregation at the open-air venue in Hathras, about 200km south of New Delhi.
India is a deeply religious nation, with hundreds of millions of people practising their faith daily, including large numbers of people who attend such sermons hosted by preachers and godmen to seek blessings.
Ms Devi said that she had attended at least five events where Bhole Baba preached, but Tuesday’s gathering was the first when a crowd had grown beyond capacity.
“I always took Evansh with me because he was the youngest of my four children. I did not know he would not come back home.
“I had never seen such a crowd at any of Baba’s past events.”
The Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday filed a criminal case against the organisers, accusing them of flouting event regulations.
The authorities had provided permission for a gathering of 80,000 people.
Mr Hari has not been named in the complaint.
However, police have been unable to find and interview him at his ashrams.
The police report also stated that volunteers “were carrying sticks and stopped the crowd”.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday met survivors and the families of people who died, and suggested the crush may have been the result of a conspiracy.
“The organisers tried to cover up the incident but most of them ran away after police arrived. We have formed a special investigation team. There are several angles that need to be investigated,” Mr Adityanath said.
“This cannot just be an accident. If it is an accident, then who is responsible, and if it is not just an accident, then who is the conspirator?
“We will have a judicial inquiry as well which will be led by a retired high court judge.”
He also said that the government would bring in protocols for such events to avoid more tragedies.
“This will not happen again … we will ensure that,” Mr Adityanath said.
He has announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,400) each to the families of the deceased and 50,000 rupees ($600) for relatives of those injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced a compensation package.
The incident has aroused public anger against the preacher and the authorities for their failure to make adequate arrangements for so many people.
“The Baba is absconding. He must come forward and meet the survivors and say what happened. The authorities also failed to control the situation. There were not enough security arrangements,” Rahuraj Singh, 50, a labourer, told The National.
Mr Singh and his wife Nandini Devi narrowly escaped the crush.
“Bodies were strewn, some were smeared in mud. Some people were taking the injured in their cars. I feel lucky to have survived but I am distraught.”
The couple had been disciples of Bhole Baba for more than a decade, but the incident has shaken their belief.
“My wife was a believer and she used to take me with her. But now, after this incident, I have understood that this is all deception,” Mr Singh said.
India has a grim record of crowd management, and such accidents are common.
At least 115 devotees were killed in 2013 during a crush at a temple in Madhya Pradesh.
In 2008, at least 224 pilgrims were crushed to death at a hilltop temple in western Rajasthan, where more than 400 were injured.
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Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Day 2, stumps
Pakistan 482
Australia 30/0 (13 ov)
Australia trail by 452 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the innings
