India
121 dead in Hathras stampede; FIR against event organisers
Hathras: The death toll from the stampede at a religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh rose to 121 on Wednesday.
The Uttar Pradesh Police filed an FIR against the event organisers, accusing them of hiding evidence and violating the conditions set for the event, which saw 2.5 lakh attendees instead of the permitted 80,000.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to visit the site near Phulrai village in Sikandar Rau, where the stampede occurred during a ‘satsang’ led by religious preacher Bhole Baba on Tuesday afternoon.
According to the Office of the Relief Commissioner, the incident resulted in 121 fatalities and 28 injuries. Among the deceased, 19 remain unidentified.
On Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh reported a death toll of 116, with the majority of victims being women, except for seven children and one man.
The FIR, filed at Sikandar Rau police station, accuses the organisers of misrepresenting the number of expected attendees, failing to cooperate in traffic management, and hiding evidence after the stampede. The complaint does not name the ‘satsang’ conductor, Jagat Guru Saakar Vishwahari, as an accused.
The FIR charges the organisers, including ‘Mukhya sevadar’ Devprakash Madhukar, under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, attempt to commit culpable homicide, wrongful restraint, disobedience to a public servant’s order, and causing disappearance of evidence.
Complainant Brijesh Pandey stated that the event had permission for 80,000 people, but over 2.5 lakh attended, causing a traffic jam. The stampede occurred as devotees collected mud from the path of Bhole Baba’s vehicle, leading to people being trampled.
Despite efforts by police and administration to manage the situation and send injured individuals to hospitals, the organizers allegedly did not cooperate and tried to conceal the number of attendees by discarding their belongings in nearby fields.
A team led by ADG Agra and Aligarh Divisional Commissioner has been set up to investigate the incident, with a report due within 24 hours.
Chief Minister Adityanath vowed to uncover the truth and punish those responsible.
