WHAT LED TO HATHRAS STAMPEDE WHICH KILLED 116 PEOPLE? POLICE REVEAL THE REASON

Hathras: At least 116 people died in a stampede at Uttar Pradesh's Hathras on Tuesday. The stampede occurred during a religious congregation at a 'satsang' event in Uttar Pradesh's Pulrai village where a large number of people had gathered. As per Sikandra Rao police station SHO Ashish Kumar, the stampede occurred due to overcrowding.

A self-proclaimed godman 'Bhole Baba' has organised the religious meeting. An eyewitness told news agency PTI the stampede occurred when devotees started to leave the venue after the event.

Aligarh Range IG Shalabh Mathur confirmed to the media that 116 people died in the incident. '27 dead bodies are at Etah Morturaty and rest are in Hathras. For postmortem, dead bodies were sent to different places. Injured are undergoing treatment. Efforts are on to provide proper medical treatment to the injured. An FIR has been registered into the matter," he stated.

'An FIR will be registered against the organisers who took the permission to hold the event under relevant sections. In the initial reports, it was found there a more people who attended the event than the permission taken," the IG said.

Shalabh Kumar's Statement:

Meanwhile, another eyewitness told news agency ANI that his wife and younger brother were missing after the incident. "I came here with my family members from Badaun. The wife of my younger brother is missing after the stampede. We got to know that several people were missing. I was making announcements in the mic but it did not help," he said.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the stampede resulted from overcrowding exacerbated by intense heat and humidity, causing followers to jostle for space. Many arrived on motorcycles and bicycles, obstructing both entry and exit points. As the stampede unfolded, victims reportedly stumbled over parked vehicles and each other, contributing to the tragic outcome.

The UP Chief Secretary said that permission was for 80,000 people, and there were more followers at the venue.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed profound sorrow over the stampede in Hathras and announced Rs two lakh ex-gratia for the next of kin of the dead and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

Amidst his reply to a two-day debate on the motion of thanks on the President's address to both Houses of Parliament, Modi condoled the death.

"In the midst of discussions, I have also been given sad news. It has come to my attention that there have been many tragic deaths in the stampede in Hathras, UP," PM Modi said in Lok Sabha.

"I express my condolences to those who lost their lives in this incident. I hope for the speedy recovery of all the injured," he said.

The prime minister said senior officials of the central government are in constant contact with the Uttar Pradesh administration to coordinate aid efforts. "Through this forum, I assure everyone that all possible assistance will be provided to the victims," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

2024-07-02T16:37:00Z dg43tfdfdgfd