Amid the ongoing row over the tragic stampede at Uttar Pradesh's Hathras that killed at least 121 people on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, is planning to visit Hathras and interact with those affected by the stampede, said Congress general secretary KC Venugopal.
According to the senior Congress leader, "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.
Hathras stampede: About the mishap
On Tuesday, the tragic incident took place at a religious meeting addressed by a self-proclaimed preacher Bhole Baba, according to the local administration.
The stampede was reportedly caused by the followers' wish to collect the dirt around his feet when he was walking.
However, according to Sheela Maurya, the Uttar Pradesh police's constable who was on duty at the venue, held overcrowding accountable for the mishap. It has been told that the event organisers had secured permission for a gathering of 80,000 people whereas, in reality, over 2.5 lakh people turned up.
"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," Maurya said.
Hathras stampede: Police investigation underway
The Uttar Pradesh police has launched a search operation at Ram Kutir Charitable Trust in Mainpuri on Thursday. However, they failed to find the self-styled godman Bhole Baba 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.
Taking cognisance of the incident, government has constituted a three-member Judicial Inquiry Commission under the chairmanship of Justice (retd) Brijesh Kumar Srivastava to ensure a comprehensive and transparent inquiry of the matter.
