Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, intends to visit Hathras to meet with those affected by the tragic stampede that claimed 123 lives during a religious event on Tuesday, as confirmed by Congress general secretary KC Venugopal.
“It was an unfortunate incident. Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, plans to visit Hathras. He will go there and interact with the affected people,” Venugopal stated.
Meanwhile, RJD leader Manoj Jha criticized the inquiry panel established to investigate the stampede, dismissing it as superficial.
“How many committees are formed after such accidents? We all know this issue will be forgotten after two days. Our nation has become accident-prone… Wasn’t the local administration aware of the crowd? This is all just a cover-up,” Jha remarked.
According to local authorities, the stampede occurred during a religious gathering addressed by preacher Bhole Baba. The incident arose when followers sought to collect soil near his feet, causing overcrowding despite event organizers obtaining permission for 80,000 attendees. The turnout exceeded 2.5 lakh people.
Sheela Maurya, a constable with the Uttar Pradesh Police on duty at the venue, attributed the incident to overcrowding.
“I was stationed near the stage. After the event, a large crowd gathered. People began falling on each other. I assisted several women but eventually, I also fell and sustained injuries. The main issue was the massive crowd exiting simultaneously,” Maurya recounted.
Separately, Uttar Pradesh Police conducted a search at Ram Kutir Charitable Trust in Mainpuri, although Bhole Baba was not found on the premises of his ashram.
Organizers of the event have been named in an FIR, although Bhole Baba himself has not been accused. A three-member Judicial Inquiry Commission led by Justice (retd) Brijesh Kumar Srivastava has been appointed to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation, according to an official statement.