A judicial commission report on the Hathras stampede that claimed 121 lives has been submitted in the UP Assembly. The inquiry highlighted mismanagement, superstition, and a lack of crowd control.
The judicial commission probing the Hathras stampede that left 121 dead submitted its 1,670-page report to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday. The report, headed by retired Justice Brijesh Kumar Srivastava, with retired IAS officer Hemant Rao and retired IPS officer Bhavesh Kumar Singh, cites gross negligence, mismanagement, and encouragement of superstition during the event.
Key findings of the inquiry report
The judicial commission report gives a grim description of the spiritual congregation organized by Narayan Saakar Hari, popularly referred to as Bhole Baba. According to the report, the event fostered blind faith, superstitions, and deceptive beliefs among followers.
- The Hathras satsang was said to promote exorcisms, curing diseases, and communicating with spirits, generating a state of mass hysteria.
- Authorities were barred from the event, with administration and police willfully kept away from major activities.
- A permission for 80,000 participants was sought, but as many as 2.5 to 3 lakh people attended the event.
- No license was given to use weapons, yet volunteers used wooden sticks one day prior to the event.
- No separate path was created for Bhole Baba; he was taken amidst the crowd, exacerbating the danger of the stampede.
- Traffic rules were not followed, and cars parked on roads led to extreme congestion.
- Security was entrusted to event organizers and volunteers, not law enforcement.
How the stampede unfolded
The report pointed to the stampede to gather Bhole Baba’s ‘charan raj’ (sacred dust from his feet) as the main cause of the fatal stampede. The commission has not, however, excluded foul play and has suggested a Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiry to ascertain if the mayhem was part of a conspiracy.
Furthermore, the commission also rejected speculations that a harmful gas or spray was responsible for inciting the panic and certified that overcrowding and poor management were the primary causes of the tragedy.
Demand for toughest laws against superstition
To ensure that the same does not happen again in the future, the judicial bench has suggested harsh legal actions against superstition-driven congregations and miracle assertions:
- The government of Uttar Pradesh must introduce legislation to check superstitions and deceptive spiritual activities.
- Activities that encourage blind faith, rituals, and miracle claims must not be allowed.
Response of the government
After the unfortunate Hathras stampede on July 2, 2024, the Yogi Adityanath government established the judicial commission to probe the accident. With the report now being submitted, officials are likely to act upon it based on the findings and recommendations.
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