THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, July 3: A petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday requesting the formation of a five-member expert committee under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge to investigate the stampede incident in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh.
121 people died and many were injured in the stampede during a religious program in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district on Tuesday.
The petition filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari has requested the Supreme Court to give directives to the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a status report on this incident and initiate legal action against officials and others for negligence.
The petition has also requested to direct all state governments to provide information about the status of medical facilities available from block/tehsil to district level to deal with stampede incidents.
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UP Police has filed FIR in the case
Uttar Pradesh Police has registered the first FIR in the Hathras Satsang stampede case in UP. In the FIR lodged at Sikandrarao police station, ‘Mukhya Sevadaar’ Devprakash Madhukar and other organizers of the religious gathering have been named.
A case has been registered under sections 105, 110, 126 (2), 223 and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. However, it is reported that Bhole Baba, who conducted the satsang, is not named in this FIR.
The Office of the Relief Commissioner reported on Wednesday that the number of those killed in the stampede has risen to 121 adding that out of the total fatalities, 19 remain unidentified.
It further added that 28 individuals were injured in the incident.
According to the officials, the organizers had sought permission for 80,000 devotees to attend the satsang. Accordingly, the administration had made arrangements at the venue. But more than 2.5 lakh devotees had come to the satsang. The organizers hid the number of devotees from the police.
The FIR states that the Satsang was held by Suraj Pal, who is also referred to as Narayan Hari, Saakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba, or simply ‘Bhole Baba,’ near GT Road in the village of Phulrai Mugalgarhi in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh.
