New Delhi: The judicial inquiry report on the Hathras stampede has been submitted to the state government. The report was tabled during a cabinet meeting on Thursday, before the state budget was presented. The proposal to present it in the assembly was approved in the meeting. Around 121 people were killed in the stampede on July 2, 2024 in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras during a satsang by Bhole Baba also known as Narayan Sarkar Hari.
The state government has not yet made the report’s findings public. However, according to sources, the report does not hold Bhole Baba accountable, effectively granting him a clean chit. The commission has also validated the police investigation and has provided several recommendations to prevent such incidents in the future. It is not yet clear whether the commission found any evidence related to a conspiracy behind the tragedy.
The tragic incident
The stampede broke out following a satsang in Phulrai village, Sikandrarao area, of Hathras. It is one of the deadliest stampedes in recent history. Following the incident, the Yogi Adityanath-led state government formed a judicial commission under the chairmanship of retired high court Judge Brajesh Kumar Srivastava to investigate the tragedy. The commission also included retired IPS officer Bhavesh Kumar Singh and retired IAS officer Hemant Rao as members.
According to the commission’s report:
– Does not hold Bhole Baba responsible, giving him a clean chit.
– Finds the police investigation to be correct and in line with standard procedures.
– Includes crucial recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future.
– Has not yet confirmed whether there was any conspiracy behind the stampede.
How the tragedy unfolded
A large crowd of 250,000 devotees had gathered for the satsang – prayer meeting and about 80,000 of them were allowed to enter a field serving as the main venue. Chaos erupted when Bhole got off stage and left the tent to get into his car after the prayer meeting.
Thousands of people rushed out of the tent towards his car in a bid to touch his feet or the ground he had walked on, trampling each other.
