The organizers of a ‘prayer meet’ led by godman Bhole Baba in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, attempted to cover up a stampede that resulted in over a hundred deaths, stated Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during a site visit. Adityanath assured the public that this would not happen again, promising the establishment of standard operating protocols (SOPs) to prevent future incidents.
The Chief Minister announced a high-level judicial investigation to be conducted by a retired High Court judge to examine potential lapses. These include issues with permissions, crowd control, and safety measures, which have already been highlighted. “The culprits won’t be spared,” Adityanath asserted. “We cannot deny this stampede is not an accident… (but), if not accident, then it was a conspiracy by whom? We will conduct a judicial inquiry under a retired High Court judge.”
Reports suggest the stampede was triggered by a tug-of-war between a massive crowd pushing to touch the godman’s feet and those trying to exit after the ‘prayer meeting’. Adityanath, after speaking with witnesses, explained that as women pushed forward during the ‘satsang’ to touch Bhole Baba’s feet, security personnel pushed back, leading to chaos. “And, when people were being taken to hospitals, the security team ran away,” he added.
Among the 121 crushed to death were children, with an estimated crowd of over 2.5 lakh gathered for the ‘satsang’ led by Bhole Baba, whose real name is Suraj Pal Singh. The deceased included six individuals from Haryana, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, while the rest were from various parts of Uttar Pradesh. Thirty injured individuals are currently hospitalized but are out of danger.
The incident has prompted tough questions for local government and police officials about who permitted such a large rally and why safety measures were lacking. The police have filed a case against a close aide of Bhole Baba and the event organizers, though the FIR does not mention the godman himself.
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