A terrible accident took place at the ‘satsang’ program organized by Bhole Baba in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh where 121 lost their lives. The tragedy took place earlier this week during a religious event held by Bhole Baba, previously known as Narayan Sakar Hari; a retired constable who became a self-styled godman. The attendance was estimated at 2.5 laks; more than twice exceeding the 80,000 persons pegged by authorities. The crush started as people collected dust under where Bhole Baba’s car passed leading to confusion and pushing.

Bhole Baba’s Response:

Bhole Baba recorded his sorrow through a video following the disaster. “May God give us the strength to bear this pain. Please keep faith in the government and the administration. I have faith that anyone who created the chaos would not be spared. Through my lawyer AP Singh, I have requested the members of the committee to stand with the bereaved families and the injured and help them throughout their lives,” he said.

This statement was said after Narayan Sakar Hari, alias Bhole Baba kept off. His lawyer, AP Singh, stated that Bhole Baba’s trust would take care of the education, health, and wedding expenses of the families of those who died in the stampede.

Arrests and Investigations:

The Hathras Police are actively hunting down those who were behind this tragedy. In Delhi, Devprakash Madhukar, who was elected as ‘mukhya sevadar’ (chief servant) of the ‘satsang’, has been apprehended. So far seven persons have been arrested including Madhukar. According to Madhukar’s counsel, AP Singh his client voluntarily surrendered in Delhi where he was under medication.

Earlier on, police had announced reward money of one lakh rupees for anyone who had information leading to Madhukar’s arrest. Police in UP have framed charges against Devprakash Madhukar in Hathras as primary accused in relation to stampede there. There were two female volunteers among arrested six members from organizing committee.

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Government and Legal Response:

The Uttar Pradesh government is taking the mishap seriously following a preliminary Special Investigation Team (SIT) report on the occurrence to which the state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been briefed. This confidential report was prepared by Additional Director General (ADG) of Police, Agra Zone, Anupam Kulshrestha and includes statements given by key administrative staff like Hathras District Magistrate Ashish Kumar and Superintendent of Police Nipun Aggarwal. The FIR was lodged under various provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The three-member SIT has so far recorded statements from 90 individuals. Besides, a three-member judicial commission headed by a retired high court judge has been instituted by the state government to further dig into the matter.

Political Responses:

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha- Rahul Gandhi visited Hathras to offer his condolences directly to the families whose members were involved in the stampede reports that the families informed him about lack of sufficient police deployment during the religious event leading to pandemonium and finally the stampede.

The Outcome:

The six persons taken into custody on Thursday by the Sikandra Rau Police at Hathras were identified as: Ram Ladete aged 50 years who hailed from Mainpuri; Upendra Singh Yadav aged 62 years from Firozabad district; Megh Singh, 61 years old from Hathras; Manju Yadav aged 30 years from Hathras district; Mukesh Kumar aged 38 years again from Hathras and Manju Devi 40 years old from Hathras respectively.

These persons were committee members and were working as sevadars (volunteers) an organization engaged in marshaling people; collecting funds or donations; cordoning off an area with barriers so as to prevent encroachment and any disorder; managing an assembly; organizing for electricity; directing and parking vehicles at particular places then lastly cleaning up the place where the occasion was to be conducted.

During interrogation, these volunteers confessed to not allowing the police and administrators to take pictures or record videos of the event and disrespect when questioned.

Conclusion:

The Hathras stampede serves as a grim reminder of the risks associated with poorly organized mass meetings. Subsequent to the tragedy, there have been numerous arrests, ongoing inquiries, and political debate. The disaster was followed by sadness conveyed through his representatives Bhole Baba alongside promises given support to the bereaved families’ from both legal and state actors thereby underscoring difficulties and obligations involved in planning such big events. Hence safety rules should be strictly adhered to while planning large gatherings in future to avoid other similar incidences.

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