Hathras stampede toll rises to 121; UP CM orders judicial probe

Hathras stampede toll rises to 121; UP CM orders judicial probe

Hathras (UP): The death toll in the stampede that broke out in a ‘satsang’ here rose to 121 on Wednesday and police filed an FIR against the organisers, accusing them of hiding evidence and flouting conditions with 2.5 lakh people crammed into a venue in which only 80,000 were permitted.

A day after the stampede in Phulrai village at a congregation by religious preacher Bhole Baba snuffed out the lives of their loved ones, stunned families tried to come to terms with their loss – dazed at how an afternoon out could have ended in such tragedy. Crowds gathered around hospitals, some looking for those missing, some there to identify bodies and others tending to the injured.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday announced a judicial probe into the Hathras stampede. He said that among those killed, six were from other states: four from Haryana, and one each from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

He said retired administration and police officials will also be part of the judicial inquiry to probe the stampede. The committee will find who is responsible for the tragedy, or if it was a conspiracy, the chief minister said.

“We will ensure such incidents do not occur in the future,” he said, adding the government may put in place a Standard Operating Procedure which will guide organisation of such events in the future. “We will ensure this.”

The Chief Minister also met those injured in the stampede — which took place around 3.30 pm when the Baba was leaving the venue with some accounts saying people slipped in the slush as they ran after the preacher’s car.

“The chief minister held a meeting with officials in the circuit house and met the injured in district hospitals,” a government official said.

A team consisting of ADG Agra and Aligarh Divisional Commissioner has been constituted to inquire into the cause of the incident. The report is likely to be submitted on Wednesday.

According to the Office of the Relief Commissioner, the number of people injured stands at 28. Only four of the 121 bodies remained to be identified.

Of the 116 who died on Tuesday, all were women, except for seven children and one man. A pile of slippers at the spot were mute testimony to the tragedy that had befallen so many.

Where was Baba Narayan Hari, also known as Saakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba, the preacher who conducted the ‘satsang’? That was the question as he remained missing and police launched a search for him.

While the state police lodged an FIR against the organisers, his name is not on the list of accused, though it is there in the complaint.

Giving a sense of what took place, the FIR alleged that the organisers hid the actual number of devotees coming to the ‘satsang’ while seeking permission, did not cooperate in traffic management and hid evidence after the incident.

The FIR apparently gave a clean chit to the police and administration, saying they did whatever possible from the available resources.

‘Mukhya sevadar’ Devprakash Madhukar and other organisers have been named in the first information report (FIR) filed at the Sikandar Rau police station late Tuesday, a senior official told PTI.

The FIR has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 126 (2) (wrongful restraint), 223 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by the public servant), 238 (causing disappearance of evidence), the official said.

The organisers sought permission for about 80,000 people for which police and administration made arrangements. However, over 2.5 lakh people gathered, it said.

The Baba, who was the main speaker of the satsang, came out about 2 pm in his vehicle and devotees starting collecting mud from there. Due to the heavy rush of devotees, those lying down (for taking the mud) started getting trampled.