Hathras Stampede: Uttar Pradesh government suspends six officials for ‘negligence’, while SIT report points to ‘big conspiracy’

Hathras Stampede: The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has suspended six officials for “negligence” in discharge of their duties. The action came after the Special Investigations Team (SIT), which was probing the tragic incident that claimed over 100 lives, recommended action against the officials. Moreover, the SIT report also mentioned that a “larger conspiracy” behind the incident could not be ruled out.

The tragic Hathras stampede occurred on July 2 at a satsang of self-proclaimed guru Bhole Baba, leaving 121 people dead. The incident occurred on July 2 at a religious satsang event of self-proclaimed guru Suraj Pal, alias ‘Bhole Baba’, in Fulari village in Hathras state of Uttar Pradesh.

Hathras Stampede: 6 officials suspended

The Uttar Pradesh government reacted quickly and suspended six officials, including the Sub-District Magistrate (SDM), Circle Officer (CO), Tehsildar, Station Officer and two Chowki Incharges of Sikandrarao.

This decision takes into account the findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report, which found that these officials were negligent in the discharge of their duties.

The SIT report highlighted that the SDM gave permission for the event without inspecting the venue or informing higher authorities, thereby holding the programme organiser, local police and the tehsil-level administration responsible for their roles in the unfortunate incident.

Hathras Stampede: Great Conspiracy

During the satsang of the self-proclaimed guru Surajpal alias Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba, a tragic mass panic occurred in which 121 people lost their lives.

The initial investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) placed blame for the incident primarily on the organizers, citing witness statements and evidence.

However, the SIT does not rule out the possibility of a larger conspiracy and stresses the need for a comprehensive investigation. “The SIT does not rule out a larger conspiracy behind the incident and stresses the need for a thorough investigation,” officials said.

In a surprising twist, the godfather’s lawyer claimed on July 6 that the stampede was caused by a “toxic substance” sprayed by unknown assailants, suggesting a possibly sinister motive behind the tragedy.

Hathras Stampede: Accused

Devprakash Madhukar, the main accused in the Hathras stampede case, was remanded in custody for 14 days after being produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court last week.

Madhukar had gone into hiding and a reward of ₹A fine of Rs 1 lakh has been suspended for information leading to his arrest.

Police arrested Madhukar on July 5 in the capital Delhi. According to police, two other accused, Ramprakash Shakya and Sanju Yadav, were also arrested.