THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Lucknow, Feb 21: The investigation into the stampede during a satsang in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, on July 2 last year has been completed, with the inquiry commission submitting its report to the state government. The report was presented in the cabinet, and permission has been granted to table it in the assembly. However, the government has yet to make the findings public.
Bhole Baba gets clean chit
According to sources, the judicial inquiry commission has given a clean chit to Narayan Sakar Hari, also known as Bhole Baba. However, the organizers have been held primarily responsible for the tragic incident. The report highlights serious lapses by the administration and police, considering them major acts of negligence.
Lack of security and crowd control led to tragedy
The commission found that the satsang organizers failed to follow safety protocols, despite the crowd being far larger than anticipated. Security arrangements were inadequate, and the police did not effectively manage the situation, leading to the chaos.
The report further states that had the police and administration implemented proper crowd control measures, the stampede could have been prevented.
121 devotees died in the stampede
On July 2, in Phulwai village of Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, a stampede occurred during the conclusion of a Satsang by ‘Bhole Baba.’ The stampede resulted in the deaths of 121 devotees, with many others injured.
According to officials, the organizers had sought permission for 80,000 devotees to attend the sermon, and the administration made arrangements accordingly. However, more than 250,000 devotees attended the event. The organizers hid the actual number of attendees from the police.
After the incident, the state government formed a judicial inquiry commission under the chairmanship of retired High Court judge Brijesh Kumar Srivastava. Retired IPS officer Bhavesh Kumar Singh and retired IAS officer Hemant Rao were appointed as members of the commission.