'Overcrowding, No Crowd Management, No Medical Team': Priyanka Gandhi Points To 'List Of Negligence' In Hathras Stampede

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi slammed the government for not preventing accidents and listed points of negligence, which according to her, led to the Hathras stampede.

After the Hathras stampede, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi slammed the government for "covering up" and not preventing such accidents. (Photo: PTI)

Hathras Stampede: After the heart-wrenching tragedy in Uttar Pardesh's Hathras claimed 121 lives in a stampede in a 'satsang' on July 2, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra lashed out at the Centre for its "negligence" and "covering up" such accidents, and questioned 'Who is responsible for the tragic incident that occurred in Hathras?" 

Underlining the reasons that might have led to the deadly end of the attendees of the religious discourse, she wrote on X: " Crowd three times larger than permitted, no administration on site, no crowd management arrangements, no measures to protect from the extreme heat, no medical team, no ambulance after the incident, no force for help, no doctors or facilities in the hospital... such a long list of negligence but no one is held accountable. Who is responsible for the tragic incident that occurred in Hathras?"

Furthermore, she listed the various incidents that have occurred in India in the past few weeks, claiming the lives of several people. She wrote: "Hundreds of deaths occur sometimes due to bridge collapses, sometimes due to train accidents, sometimes due to stampedes. Instead of covering up, it is the government's responsibility to take action and plan to prevent such accidents."

Criticising the government over its inability to prevent such accidents she added: "But accountability is never fixed and such incidents keep happening. This is a very sad situation."

अनुमति से तीन गुना ज्यादा भीड़, मौके पर प्रशासन नहीं, भीड़ मैनेजमेंट का इंतजाम नहीं, भीषण गर्मी से ​बचने का कोई उपाय नहीं, कोई मेडिकल टीम नहीं, घटना के बाद एंबुलेंस नहीं, मदद के लिए फोर्स नहीं, अस्पताल में डॉक्टर और सुविधाएं नहीं... लापरवाहियों की इतनी लंबी लिस्ट लेकिन किसी की…

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) July 3, 2024

This comes as the death toll in the Hathras stampede rose to 121 on Wednesday, most of whom were women barring seven children and a man. 

UP police has also registered an FIR against the organisers, accusing them of hiding evidence and flouting conditions with around 2.5 lakh people, crammed into a venue that was meant for a gathering of 80,000.  

However, Jagat Guru Saakar Vishwahari, the congregation or 'satsang' conductor's name, does not appear in the list of accused in the FIR. His name is mentioned in the complaint.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath Announces Judicial Probe Into Hathras Stampede

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a judicial probe into the incident on Wednesday.

He stated that the retired administration along with the police officials will be a part of the judicial inquiry to investigate the matter.

"The committee will find who is responsible for the tragedy, or if it was a conspiracy," news agency PTI quoted the chief minister as saying.

"We will ensure such incidents do not occur in the future, he said, adding the government may put in place a Standard Operating Procedure which will guide organisation of such events in the future. We will ensure this," he added.