Hathras Stampede Death Toll Rises To 123; UP To Introduce SOPs To Prevent Satsang Tragedy Rerun

In a statement, the godman expressed his ‘condolences’ over the incident and claimed that the chaos erupted a long time after he had already left the venue

The death toll in the Hathras ‘satsang’ stampede touched 123 on Thursday, with Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba-- the self-styled godman who was heading the prayer meeting — blaming "anti-social elements" for the deadly tragedy on July 2.

In a statement, the godman expressed his ‘condolences’ over the incident and claimed that the chaos erupted a long time after he had already left the venue.

"I/we express our deep condolence to the families of the deceased and pray to prabhu/parmatma (God) for the speedy recovery of the injured," read the statement.

He further said that he had authorised Supreme Court lawyer A.P. Singh to take "further legal action in regard of stampede created by some anti-social elements after Samagam".

'Godman' Still Absconding

The preacher, however, still remains at large with police saying he hadn't turned up at his sprawling ashram in Mainpuri. Since the incident on Tuesday, he has been maintaining a low profile. 

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday failed to name the preacher in their FIR.

As per the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM)-led preliminary probe, the stampede was caused after devotees were pushed by the godman's security and a "slippery slope".

"A crowd of more than 2 lakh people was present in the satsang pandal. Shri Narayan Sakar Hari (Bhole Baba) reached the satsang pandal at about 12.30 PM and the programme went on for 1 hour," the preliminary report said.

"After this, at about 1.40 PM, Shri Narayan Sakar Hari (Bhole Baba) came out of the pandal to go towards Etah on National Highway-91," the report said, adding that when the godman was leaving the venue, his followers started running towards him for a 'darshan' and collect soil from around his feet.

"Satsangi women/men/children etc. started applying the dust of Baba's feet on their foreheads (while trying) to get his darshan, touch his feet and take his blessings," reads the report.

'UP To Have SOPs To Prevent Repeat Of Hathras-Like Tragedies'

Uttar Pradesh minister Asim Arun on Wednesday said the state government has started work on SOPs for granting permission for large gatherings to prevent such incidents in future.

He said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed officials to prepare the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and permission for events would be granted only if the basic, minimum conditions for amenities are met.