HATHRAS STAMPEDE VICTIMS FELL INTO DITCH, ORGANISERS TRIED TO DESTROY EVIDENCE: 9 UPDATES
New Delhi: A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to appoint an expert committee to probe the deadly stampede in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras on Tuesday. At least 121 people died in the stampede at the religious congregation - 108 of them women and seven children. The victims had gathered near Phulrai village in honour of a local guru, Bhole Baba aka Narayan Saakar Hari.
According to the FIR - in possession of Times Now, the gathering turned chaotic when the devotees rushed to receive "dhul" (blessed dust) as Narayan Sakar Hari's (Bhole Baba) cavalcade approached the congregration. The situation quickly escalated when a commotion near the congregation point caused women and children to fall into a nearby ditch in a field.
While the FIR does not mention "Bhole Baba" as an accused, the main "sevadar" have been named by the police. The police FIR also revealed that organisers failed to provide timely assistance to those affected, compounding the severity of the incident.Furthermore, the FIR accused the organisers of destroying evidence, alleging that sevadars (volunteers) discarded clothes and shoes left behind by attendees in a nearby field, hindering investigations into the events.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is likely to visit Hathras today. The chief minister has assured that those found guilty will not be spared.
Here are the top 10 updates on this big story:
- The PIL filed in the Supreme Court has sought a five-member expert committee under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court justice to probe the deadly stampede. The petitioner has also requested the top court to suggest and frame Guidelines and safety measures to avoid such incidents in large public gatherings.
- A separate petiton has also been filed in the Allahabad High Court. The petitioner has blamed the district authorities and police officials for the tragic incident. This type of irresponsible behavior and negligence of police and district administration towards safety of devotees will force the citizens to lose faith on government instrument as well as legal system of state, it said.
- Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath chaired a high-level meeting at his residence this morning before his visit to Hathras. The chief minister will meet the families of the deceased, officials said. "He will land at Agra Airport at 10:40 and take a helicopter to Hathras," an official said.
- Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has formed a team consisting of ADG Agra and Aligarh Divisional Commissioner to inquire into the cause of the incident. The report is to be submitted within 24 hours, the government said in a statement on Tuesday, following the tragic incident.
- Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Adityanath said that his government will "get to the bottom of this incident" and give appropriate punishment to the conspirators and those responsible. "The state government is investigating this entire incident. We will see whether it is an accident or a conspiracy," he said.
- According to the statement, lakhs of devotees gathered in the programme of Bhole Baba, famous as Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari, in Hathras district, putting crowd management at risk.
- The stampede at the 'satsang' killed 121 people as devotees suffocated to their deaths and bodies piled atop each other in the worst such tragedy in recent years. Envoys of several countries mourned the loss of lives in the incident.
- A former policeman who turned into a religious preacher two decades ago, 'Bhole Baba' has a huge following in western Uttar Pradesh.
- The real name of Bhole Baba is Surajpal. He is a native of Bahadur Nagar in Kasganj district, a retired IPS officer told PTI.