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Hathras stampede: 34 get statements recorded before judicial commission
Uttar Pradesh judicial commission team probes Hathras stampede tragedy that claimed 121 lives, locals blame organizers, police, and godman.
On the second day of its stay in Hathras, the Uttar Pradesh government’s three-member judicial commission team probing the July 2 stampede interacted with locals asking them to share whatever they knew about the tragedy that claimed 121 lives. In all, 34 locals recorded their statements with the commission that arrived in Hathras on Saturday (July 6).
The eyewitnesses claimed that “Bhole Baba” or Narayan Hari Sakar had asked the followers assembled at the July 2 ‘satsang’ to collect his “charan raj”, the soil around his feet and made an announcement about it, motivating the ill-fated devotees to rush for it.
They alleged that Baba had claimed that his “charan raj” will heel their illnesses. A few others alleged that the ‘sevadars’ (volunteers) were too rough in dealing with followers and pushed them aside when the fleet of self-styled godman’s cars passed.
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Scores of female followers gathered along side the GT Road from where the cavalcade was passing were pushed back and began falling over one another in a ditch along the road increasing the magnitude of the tragedy, testified the witnesses.
A few also blamed absence of adequate police force as reason for the rise in number of deaths but most were critical of private army of organisers. The commission called upon those coming to give statements since 9.30 am on Sunday but their mobile phones were deposited at the gate.
The three-member team formed on July 3 under retired Allahabad high court judge Brijesh Kumar Srivastava and comprises former IAS officer Hemant Rao and former IPS officer Bhavesh Kumar as members will file its report within 2 months.
The commission began working early on Sunday and camped at the PWD guest house in Hathras. Most locals held the organisers of the ‘satsang’ responsible for the tragedy. They also alleged that volunteers of the organising committee kept police and administration away and fled when things went out of hand.
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Moreover, no further arrests were made on Sunday in connection with the tragedy in which the Hathras police have so far arrested nine people. Those arrested include main accused Dev Prakash Madhukar who along with two others was arrested on Saturday. Six others were arrested earlier by the police.
The judicial commission team said all those relevant to the investigation would be questioned. The commission members spent around 45 minutes at the site of the ‘satsang’ where the stampede had taken place. Interacting with the media later, the judicial commission’s chairman Justice (retd) Brijesh Kumar Srivastava said the site where the stampede took place was viewed in detail.
“We have taken an account of the sequence of incidents that happened leading to the tragedy. We aim to complete the probe within two months and meanwhile statements will be recorded from whomsoever is deemed required during the course of the probe,” he said.
