'Crowd rushed to seek ...': What SDM report said on Hathras stampede

A day after the stampede incident in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras claimed the lives of 121 people, the sub divisional magistrate (SDM) of the Sikandra Rao division of the district submitted a prime facie report to the district magistrate of Hathras on Wednesday. The report suggests that the stampede occurred as devotees rushed to seek blessing from ' Bhole Baba ', the preacher at the religious congregation Satsang , as he was about to leave the venue after the prayer.

The preacher, identified as Suraj Pal , is also known by the names of Narayan Sakar Hari and Jagat Guru Vishwahari. According to the report, the devotees, who were eager to seek blessings and collect soil from around the preacher's feet, were stopped by the security personnel of 'Bhole Baba'. This led to a situation where people started pushing one another, causing several individuals to fall to the ground and creating chaos at the site.

In an attempt to escape the chaos, some people ran towards the adjoining field filled with mud, causing them to fall and be crushed by other devotees. "The injured were taken to the hospital by the police and security personnel present at the site", the report further said.

An FIR has been lodged against Devprakash Madhukar, referred to as 'Mukhya Sewadar', and other organisers of the 'Satsang' under Sections 105, 110, 126(2), 223, and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. However, the preacher 'Bhole Baba', who is currently untraceable, has not been named in the FIR. Uttar Pradesh police have launched a search operation at Ram Kutir Charitable Trust in Mainpuri district.

The incident has resulted in the loss of 121 lives, while 35 people have sustained injuries, as confirmed by Sandip Kumar Singh Lodhi, minister of state for education (independent charge) in the government of Uttar Pradesh. "It is a very unfortunate incident and we have been following up on every update from Hathras all night. It is really sad that the death toll has reached 121. About 35 people are injured," he said.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited Hathras to meet the victims and their families, and also held an interaction with the officials at the Hathras police line to assess the situation.

In response to the incident, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the appointment of a five-member expert committee under the supervision of a retired top Court judge to inquire into the Hathras stampede incident. The plea, filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, also seeks direction to the State of Uttar Pradesh to submit a status report before the apex court and initiate legal action against the persons, authorities, and officials for their negligent conduct.