Hathras stampede: The death count in the devastating stampede at a religious congregation in the Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh has increased to 121 and has left 28 injured, said the Office of the Relief Commissioner on Wednesday.
Devotees had come to the ‘satsang’ from various districts of Uttar Pradesh as well as neighbouring states. The victims were part of the crowd of thousands that had gathered near Phulrai village in the Sikandrarau area for the ‘satsang’ by religious preacher Bhole Baba.
FIR against organisers of religious congregation
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday registered an FIR against the organisers of the religious congregation in Hathras. ‘Mukhya sevadar’ Devprakash Madhukar and other organisers have been named in the first information report (FIR) filed at the Sikandara Rao police station late Tuesday.
The FIR has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 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), 238 (causing disappearance of evidence).
Here’s how accident happened
According to the FIR, 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 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 organizers, it added.
