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Rahul Gandhi to visit Hathras? Congress leader's big update
RJD leader Manoj Jha said the panel formed to probe the stampede is just an eyewash.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is planning to visit Hathras and interact with those affected by the stampede, said Congress general secretary KC Venugopal.
On Tuesday, 123 people died in the stampede at a religious event.
"It was an unfortunate incident. The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is planning to visit Hathras. He will go there and interact with the people who are affected," he said.
Meanwhile, RJD leader Manoj Jha said the panel formed to probe the stampede is just an eyewash.
"How many committees have been constituted for such accidents? We all know there will be no discussions about this matter after 2 days. This nation has become a nation of accidents... Was the local administration of the city not aware of the crowd? All of this is just an eyewash," he said.
Also read: What happened in Hathras? All you need to know about Bhole Baba, stampede
According to the local administration, the incident took place at a religious meeting addressed by preacher Bhole Baba.
The preacher's followers wanted to collect the dirt around his feet when he was walking, leading to the stampede. The organisers of the event had secured permission for a gathering of 80,000 people. However, over 2.5 lakh people turned up.
Sheela Maurya, the Uttar Pradesh police's constable who was on duty at the venue, blamed overcrowding for the incident.
Also read: Hathras tragedy: Bhole Baba's lawyer refutes 'charan raj' allegation | 10 points
"I was deputed in front of the stage. There was a huge crowd there after the event concluded. People started falling on each other. I helped many women but later even I fell and suffered injuries. The problem was that there was a huge crowd and everyone started exiting the venue together," she said.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh police conducted a search operation at Ram Kutir Charitable Trust in Mainpuri on Thursday. However, Bhole Baba couldn't be found inside the premises of his ashram.
An FIR has been lodged against the organisers of the event. Bhole Baba has not been named as an accused yet.
A three-member Judicial Inquiry Commission under the chairmanship of Justice (retd) Brijesh Kumar Srivastava has been constituted to ensure comprehensiveness of the subject matter and transparency in the inquiry, according to an official statement.
With inputs from PTI, ANI
