A sub-divisional magistrate in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district has been suspended following a stampede at a ‘prayer meet’ organized by ‘godman’ Bhole Baba, which resulted in the deaths of 121 people. The official, along with five other district officials, was removed from duty after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) report highlighted gross negligence in the planning and execution of the event.
The SIT report, submitted to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, criticised the SDM for not inspecting the venue or informing senior officials. The report also accused the event’s organizers and local authorities, including the police, of failing to take adequate safety measures and not treating the event with the seriousness it required.
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The organizers were found to have hired individuals without proper police verification, further compounding the negligence. Local police also failed to promptly inform their seniors about the stampede and the resulting fatalities, a serious lapse in protocol.
The SIT, comprising Additional Director General of Police (Agra Zone) Anupam Kulshrestha and Aligarh Divisional Commissioner Chaitra V, identified overcrowding as a major factor in the tragedy. Although the organizers claimed they expected 80,000 attendees, the actual number was over 2.5 lakh. This underreporting is believed to have been a deliberate attempt to avoid additional restrictions and crowd safety measures, many of which were not implemented.
Also Read: WATCH: First time since Hathras stampede tragedy, Bhole Baba issues on-camera statement
This is not the first instance of Bhole Baba’s events deceiving authorities. In May 2022, during the COVID pandemic, a rally in Farrukhabad district was authorized for 50 people but attracted over 50,000 attendees.
The SIT report is based on statements from 125 individuals, including eyewitnesses, survivors, police, and district officials. It also examined news reports, photographs, and video footage. So far, six officials, including the SDM, have been suspended, and nine people, including the main organizer Devprakash Madhukar, have been arrested.
The investigation revealed several critical failures in event management, such as having only one entry and exit point for a crowd of 2.5 lakh, lack of safety measures, absence of ambulances and medical stations, and poor ventilation in tents. Emergency exits and evacuation routes were either not available or not clearly marked, exacerbating the chaos during the stampede.
The organizers were also accused of failing to manage pedestrian and vehicular traffic and of destroying or hiding evidence post-stampede.
Despite the severe lapses, Bhole Baba, whose real name is Suraj Pal Singh, has not been named as an accused or questioned in the investigation.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered a more detailed investigation, citing the possibility of a major conspiracy behind the stampede. The state government is committed to ensuring accountability and preventing such tragedies in the future.
