The death toll in yesterday’s heart rendering stampede at Bhole Baba Satsang in this Uttar Pradesh district rose to 121 on Wednesday morning. An FIR under sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita has been registered against Chief Sevadar Devprakash Madhukar and other unknown organisers and sevadars.
A stampede took place during a satsang hosted by a local preacher Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari aka Bhole Baba on Tuesday.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reached here to make an on-spot enquiry and meet the injured and the families of the deceased.
The Chief Minister reached Hathras at around 11.15 AM and went straight to hospital where the injured were admitted. He briefly talked to them and enquired about their health. He also met some family members of the deceased.
Later he reached the circuit house and talked to officials. The CM also visited the incident spot along with officials amid heavy rains.
The toll in the incident increased to 121 from 116 after 5 more people succumbed to their injuries. The increased death toll was confirmed by state minister Sandeep Singh before the media. As many as 28 people have been seriously injured in the stampede.
The deceased included 114 women and 7 men. A total of 19 bodies have not been identified yet.
On late Tuesday night, police registered an FIR against the organisers at Sikandrarao police station. The case was registered under sections of culpable homicide and hiding evidence against Chief Sevadar Devprakash Madhukar and other unknown organisers and sevadars.
However, police were yet to confirm whether any of the organisers were taken in custody or not.
The FIR was filed under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 126 (2) (wrongful restraint), 223 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by the public servant), and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the new criminal code Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita ( BNS) .
According to the FIR, there were 2.5 lakh people in the event but the organisers had taken permission for the programme of 80,000 people. Besides, there was no arrangement for traffic management from the organisers side. Footwears of those injured in the stampede were thrown in the adjacent field with the intention of hiding the evidence, sources said.
“Due to the uncontrollable crowd leaving the venue, devotees sitting on the ground were crushed. On the other side of the road, the crowd running in the water and mud-filled fields was forcibly stopped by the organising committee with sticks, due to which the pressure of the crowd kept increasing and women, children, and men kept getting crushed,” the FIR said.
“The police and administrative officials present on the spot made every possible effort and sent the injured people to the hospital with the available resources. But no cooperation was given by the organisers,” the FIR stated, which was registered by a police sub inspector.