Hathras stampede: 6 officials suspended as SIT blames lapses in crowd control

The main reason 121 people died in a religious gathering at Hathras in Uttar Pradesh was overcrowding and lapses in crowd management, a special investigation team (SIT) has said in its report to the state government.

The SIT report held the ‘satsang’ organisers responsible for the stampede and said the local police and the administration did not take the event seriously and failed to provide proper information to senior officials.

Based on the report, the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), circle officer, a tehsildar, and three other officials have been suspended.

Crowded event

The SIT report was submitted to the Uttar Pradesh Home Department on Tuesday (July 9).

Additional Director General of Police (Agra) Anupam Kulshreshtha and Aligarh Divisional Commissioner Chaitra V came to these conclusions after talking to 128 witnesses including policemen, media reports said.

The report did not rule out a “big conspiracy” behind the stampede either and recommended a thorough probe.

Nine arrests

The tragedy occurred on July 2 when an estimated 2.5 lakh people turned up for ‘satsang’ of Narayan Sakar Hari, popularly known as 'Bhole Baba', in Phulrai village.

The event organisers had earlier sought permission for the presence of some 80,000 people. But a massive crowd flocked to the venue.

Nine people, including event’s main organiser Devprakash Madhukar, have been arrested. Bhole Baba has been elusive since then.

A conspiracy?

The self-styled godman, however, has not been named an accused in the FIR.

His lawyer AP Singh said the preacher was ready to cooperate with the authorities. He also alleged a conspiracy and claimed that unidentified men had sprayed poison at the event, triggering the stampede.

Godman’s dust

Kulshreshtha told PTI last week that they have not ruled out the conspiracy angle but evidence gathered so far suggest culpability on the part of the organisers.

The stampede reportedly took place when the godman was leaving and his followers rushed to collect dust stirred up by his car's tyres.

The stampede

According to one report, Bhole Baba’s security guards pushed back his followers, resulting in some people falling and getting trampled.

In the chaos, many others fled towards an open field and slipped while others ran over them.

A separate judicial commission headed by retired Allahabad High Court judge Brijesh Kumar Shrivastava and retired IPS officer Hemant Rao is also probing the Hathras stampede.