UP Hathras Stampede Accident Live Updates: A day after the deadly stampede at a ‘satsang’ in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that the state government has set up a judicial probe under the aegis of a retired high court judge to probe the matter. At least 121 devotees, mostly women, suffocated to death in the stampede after the congregation hosted by local preacher Narayan Sakar Hari aka ‘Bhole Baba’ concluded. The Chief Minister also met those injured in the tragedy and the bereaved families of the deceased.
Hathras Stampede Live Updates: UP Police files FIR
Earlier in the day, UP Police filed an FIR against the organisers of the religious congregation under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, however, Bhole Baba was not named. In the complaint, the organisers have been accused of hiding evidence and flouting conditions with 2.5 lakh people gathering for the event in which only 80,000 were permitted.
UP Hathras Stampede Accident Live Updates: Yogi Adityanath reaches Hathras. Relief efforts underway. Follow Financial Express to catch up on all the latest updates.
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the 'sevadars' or aides of the self-styled preacher did not allow the administration to enter the premises of the event and fled when they were asked to take the injured to the hospital. "The most saddening part of this incident was that the 'sevadars' of the event did not let people from the administration inside the event venue. When the administration directed them to take the injured to hospital, most of the 'sevadars' fled from the site," he said.
According to the CM, most witnesses said that the tragedy occurred after the event when the preacher who came there to deliver the sermon was walking down the stage and a group of women tried to reach him. "This resulted in the incident."
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today visited Hathras a day after the horrific stampede that left 121 dead. Addressing a press conference, Adityanath assured strict action against the perpetrators. The Chief Minister said that a Special Investigation Team has submitted its preliminary report and a judicial probe has also been ordered under the aegis of a retired high court judge to probe the incident. The Chief Minister also advised against politicising the tragedy.
#watch | Hathras stampede incident | "We have formed an SIT, led by ADG Agra. It has submitted a preliminary report. They have been told to investigate this deeply. There are several angles that need to be investigated...State Government has decided to have a judicial inquiry as… pic.twitter.com/rWTKTtchWs
— ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2024
A police constable assigned to the Quick Response Team following the stampede at the satsang in Hathras died of a heart attack at the Etah Medical College, reported Times of India. As per police, Ravi Yadav, 30, was rushed to the hospital but had already passed away by then. According to doctors, Yadav possibly suffered acute trauma on seeing multiple bodies, leading to a heart attack.
The Indian Railways today said it has made special arrangements for around 3,000 people seeking to return home after attending an ill-fated satsang in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district. On Tuesday, a deadly stampede left 121, mostly women, dead and several others injured.
According to the Ministry of Railways, many trains such as Mathura-Tanakpur Fair Special, Agra Fort-Kasganj Passenger Special and Bandra Terminus Antyodaya Express will have an extra stoppage at the Sikandar Rau station. Special stoppages at other nearby stations along the train route have also been arranged for the convenience of passengers.
"Senior Divisional Commercial Manager and Senior Divisional Security Commissioner are present at the site along with the other officers of the division," an official from the Railway Board said.
A PIL has been filed before the Supreme Court to appoint a five-member committee under the supervision of a retired SC judge to probe the incident that took place on Tuesday, killing 121 people, mostly women and children. The plea also seeks directions to the UP government to submit a status report on the incident and initiate legal action against the persons and authorities over their alleged negligence.
Despite UP Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh promising action against local preacher Narayan Sakar Hari, the FIR registered in the incident does not name him yet. Asked about the possibility of his arrest, UP DGP Prashant Kumar said on Tuesday that all angles were being investigated. "Right now, everything is a matter of investigation. We do not want to influence the investigation by drawing any immediate conclusion. The ambit of the investigation is open. Action will be taken based on the facts that come to light during the investigation," he said.
The FIR implicates the preacher and his sevadars (aides), accusing them of not cooperating with the police as it sought to take the injured to the hospital. The police present at the spot took the injured to the hospital, but there was no cooperation from the sewadars. The evidence was fabricated by throwing away the belongings, clothes and shoes of the injured persons at the scene of the incident,” reads the FIR further.
Former UP Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said that the government failed in its duties to ensure proper arrangements at the venue of the event. A thorough probe and action can stop a recurrence of such mishaps, he said, adding that there is a need to identify the human errors behind the tragedy to draw lessons for the future.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath arrived in Hathras today where he is expected to meet those injured in the stampede on Tuesday. Speaking to the media yesterday, Adityanath assured of appropriate action in the incident. "Our 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."
As per the FIR registered by the Uttar Pradesh police, the aides of Suraj Pal, also called sevadars were wielding sticks and stopped followers from approaching the self-styled godman. The people, rushing to collect the dust from his car's tyre trail, fell on each other, suffocating those below. Suraj Pal has not been named yet in the FIR.
As per the FIR, the actions of the organisers led to the stampede. The FIR also charges them with deliberately concealing the expected number of attendees and trying to dispose of key evidences. Traffic management conditions were also not met, the FIR states. The accused have been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and charged with offences including ulpable homicide not amounting to murder and wrongful restraint.
The huge stampede in Hathras that killed 121 people was triggered by a rush among devotees to collect the dust from the tyre trail of self-styled 'godman' Suraj Pal aka Narayan Saakar Hari's vehicle as his convoy departed from the satsang venue. Around 2.5 lakh people were present at the venue, over three times the number of people for which the organisers had secured permission from the authorities.
A petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking direction to appoint a five-member expert committee under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge to enquire into the Hathras stampede incident
It further sought direction for the committee to suggest and frame guidelines and safety measures to avoid such incidents in public gatherings. (ANI)
On the Hathras stampede incident in which 121 people lost their lives, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said he was "saddened" by the incident and added, "It is a very painful incident. We are saddened by this incident. The Uttar Pradesh government and administration are fully responsible for this incident. The loss of lives in this incident is due to the negligence of the government. Some injured persons died due to lack of proper treatment. The BJP govt is responsible for this incident...This is not the first incident where negligence was seen. SOPs for large gatherings should be made to ensure that such incidents do not occur again."
Senior police officials reached Ram Kutir Charitable Trust in Mainpuri district after a tragic stampede took place during one of Bhole Baba's 'satsang'. A search operation was underway for 'Bhole Baba', who is currently missing.
#watch | Visuals from Ram Kutir Charitable Trust in Mainpuri district. A search operation was underway for 'Bhole Baba', who conducted a Satsang in Hathras where a stampede took place today claiming the lives of 116 people. pic.twitter.com/8u1Be55ScA
— ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2024
As the death toll rose to 121 from 116 on Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reached Hathras to meet the devotees who were injured in the stampede and to expedite the relief efforts.
#watch | Hathras Stampede accident | Hathras: UP CM Yogi Adityanath takes stock of the situation at the Hathras Police lines pic.twitter.com/DWtRcUzJb2
— ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2024
Many senior police officials on Wednesday reached the Hathras stampede site, while others arrived at Bhole Baba's ashram, the Ram Kutir Charitable Trust, to carry out an investigation.