After Tuesday’s stampede at his “satsang,” or religious gathering, in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, claimed the lives of over a hundred people, Bhole Baba, also known as Narayan Saakar Hari, is probably going to be taken into custody shortly. Original name Suraj Pal, the self-styled godman is thought to be in his ‘ashram’ in Mainpuri, around 100 kilometers away from the Phulrai village, where he conducted the fateful gathering that thousands of followers attended.
While some senior police officials are at Hathras’ ashram, the Ram Kutir Charitable Trust, others have arrived at the scene of the rush.
A dog squad and a forensic unit were dispatched to the site of the stampede in Hathras. Additional teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) also responded.
The Hathras stampede resulted in at least 121 deaths, including more than 100 women and seven children, and left 28 others injured. The Uttar Pradesh government reports that six of the victims remain unidentified.”
A compensation of ₹50,000 has been provided for the injured and ₹2 lakh each for the families of the deceased.
Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu have sent their condolences to the victims’ families.
Details on the Hathras Stampede Incident
A stampede occurred at a ‘satsang’ in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, due to an uncontrollable crowd. The event, which had gathered over 2.5 lakh devotees, was triggered by a rush among followers to collect dust from his car’s tyre trail.
The event was attended by thousands of people from various districts and neighboring states.
A high-level committee has been formed to investigate the incident, headed by the Additional Director General of Police, Agra, and the Aligarh Commissioner, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
A case has been filed against the’satsang organisers’, who were charged under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 126 (2) (wrongful restraint), 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by the public servant), and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the new criminal code Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
News – Simran
