A day after the tragic stampede incident in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district took place, where more than 120 people, mostly women, were killed during a religious gathering, a public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored probe into the matter.
The plea, filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, has also sought a directive for the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a status report on the July 2 incident. Additionally, the plea also calls for legal action against authorities and officials for their negligent conduct.
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“There are several questions that are brewing up from this horrific incident of stampede thereby questioning the duty and lapse of State Government and Municipal Corporations. Apart from the failure of maintaining and administering the supervision, the authorities have also failed in controlling the crowd gathered for the event,” Tiwari’s plea stated, as quoted by Bar and Bench.
The Hathras stampede took place at a satsang by a self-styled godman, Narayan Saakar Hari, also known as ‘Bhole Baba’. Reports indicate the event drew over two lakh devotees, although permission was granted for only around 80,000 attendees.
Meanwhile, a criminal case has been registered by the Uttar Pradesh police against the organisers of the event. Bhole Baba, who is reportedly not named in the first information report (FIR), is absconding.
The plea has further alleged that similar incidents have occurred in India in the past due to mismanagement, duty lapses, and negligent maintenance, leading to significant public casualties that could have been avoided.
“There are several questions which are brewing up from this horrific incident of stampede thereby questioning the duty and lapse of state government and municipal corporations,” it claimed, adding that the authorities had failed in controlling the crowd that gathered for the event.