Hathras stampede: 6 officers suspended; SIT not ruling out 'conspiracy'

Lucknow: Following the report submitted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the stampede in Hathras tThe Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday suspended the local SDM, a circle officer and four others on the basis of the report that did not rule out a "big conspiracy" behind the incident.

The SIT report also flagged lapses on the part of the local administration that led to the incident that claimed 121 lives on July 2.

The report held the organisers responsible for the stampede, claiming they did not make arrangements to manage the crowd and also fixed the responsibility of administration, according to official sources.

It said the local police and administration did not take the event seriously and failed to provide proper information to senior officers.

Statements from 119 people, including family members of the deceased and injured devotees, were recorded in the nearly 300-page report. The SIT also recorded statements from DM Hathras, Ashish Kumar, SP Nipun Agarwal, SDM, and CO Sikandrarao, who gave permission for the Satsang, as well as police personnel on duty for the Satsang.

Earlier on Monday, an eyewitness to the incident claimed that the attempt by a large number of devotees to collect "Baba's Charan Dhul" (soil from the feet of the godman) led to the stampede.

Sudhir Pratap Singh from Mughalgarhi village said, "The incident happened after 'Baba' announced that devotees should take soil from around his feet. The devotees rushed to collect the soil in a hurry but started falling over and piling up."

"Baba's convoy left the spot amid the stampede. Only locals and the administration helped the devotees who were present there," Singh added.

The Uttar Pradesh Judicial Commission team recorded statements from several eyewitnesses in the Hathras stampede case.

The incident occurred on July 2nd, where over 2 lakh people had gathered for the religious event, despite authorities granting permission for only 80,000 attendees. According to sources, the overcrowding worsened the condition, leading to the fatal stampede.

Devprakash Madhukar, the main accused in the Hathras stampede incident, was sent to 14 days of judicial custody after being produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on Saturday.

Madhukar had been absconding, and a reward of Rs 1 lakh was announced for information leading to his arrest. He was finally apprehended on July 5 in the national capital.

Meanwhile, the godman's advocate, AP Singh, claimed that the mishap was caused by unidentified men who sprayed poison during the event. Singh asserted that the group of conspirators fled the venue after causing the stampede. "The stampede incident at the Satsang was not an accident but a conspiracy," the lawyer said.

Earlier on July 6, 'Bhole Baba' shared a video where he stated that "those who created the chaos will not be spared."

The self-styled godman Suraj Pal, who also goes by the name Narayan Sakar Hari, expressed his grief and condoled the deaths caused by the tragedy.