Hathras Stampede: The tragic incident in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras claimed the lives of 121 people in a stampede at a 'satsang' on Tuesday evening. This has drawn the attention towards the security lapses at the venue located in Sikandara Rao area, which despite having a gathering capacity of 80,000, was thronged by around 2.5 lakh people.
With the police having filed an FIR in the matter and a judicial probe being announced by the UP CM Yogi Adityanath, questions arise as to which governmnet body allowed such a massive gathering and why the safety measures to deal with a huge crowd, including the entry and exit points, were missing.
Earlier today, Yogi Adityanath had stated that the organisers had tried to "cover up the incident". As of now, the 'godman' Suraj Pal Singh alias Bhole Baba, is absconding but his aide and organisers are facing charges of culpabale homicide amounting to murder and wrongful restraint.
The latter charge is applied when an accused "voluntarily obstructs any person so as to prevent that person from proceeding in any direction which that person has a right to proceed."
Presence Of Few Cops, No Emergency Exits And More
As per a report by NDTV, the police said that the organisers had deliberately underplayed the number of people at the 'satsang' in order to face less restrictions while hosting the event, and avoid additional crowd safety measures.
The report also stated that there were only 70 police personnel deployed at the gathering. If the police carried out their planning based on the figure of 80,000, as provided by the organisers, this would mean that there was one cop per 1150 attendees roughly.
Another possible reason that might have led to the stampede is the presence of few police personnel who were unable to manage or control the crowd after the meeting ended.
The NDTV report stated that some people rushed to the exit and others rushed to collect the mud Hari had walked on that caused a massive rush in a small built-up area.
"... the crowd, running in water and mud-filled fields behind the car, was stopped by the organising committee with sticks, due to which pressure of the crowd kept increasing and women, children, and men kept getting crushed," the police stated in the filed complaint.
According to the police there were no ambulances or medical stations present at the site, which is mandated by law. The entry and exit points were also not clearly marked, which created confusion.
Baba's Security Pushed Folllowers, Says Preliminary Report By SDM
Additionally, the emergency exits and evacuation routes were reportedly either unavailable or not marked clearly, adding to the chaos after the stampede broke. Besides, there was no ventilation in the tents that housed Hari's followers, the report said.
Police have also accused the organisers of not helping manage vehicular and pedestrian traffic at the venue, and destroying or hiding evidence after the incident.
As per a report by news agency PTI, the preliminary report provided by the SDM said that the chaos ensued after Narayan Sakaar Hari's followers, who tried to reach near his vehicle to seek darshan, were pushed by his security and a slippery slope, resulting in the stampede.