LUCKNOW: A judicial commission investigating the stampede in Hathras in July last year has identified severe overcrowding, mismanagement by organisers and negligence in granting permissions as among the factors responsible for the tragedy that claimed 121 lives at a religious event of preacher Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba.The panel’s report, submitted to the Uttar Pradesh government and tabled in the state assembly on Wednesday, highlights several safety lapses in the event’s infrastructure, including lack of exit planning.The panel did not rule out the possibility of a criminal conspiracy and recommended that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) conduct a deeper probe.According to the report, the event was expected to attract 80,000 people, but the actual turnout was between 2.5 to 3 lakh. When the religious sermon concluded, the entire crowd was released at once, leading to uncontrollable chaos. The report found that no structured dispersal plan was in place to guide devotees out of the venue safely.The three-member judicial commission was set up by the state government, with justice (retired) Brijesh Kumar Shrivastav as its chairperson along with former IAS officer Hemant Rao and former IPS officer Bhavesh Kumar as members.Surajpal, the real name of the preacher, was not mentioned as an accused in the FIR lodged by the local police following the deadly stampede in Sikandrarao’s Fulrai village.The inquiry also pointed to a lack of basic amenities at the venue. The seating arrangement extended far beyond the designated pandal due to overcrowding, leaving thousands exposed to intense heat and humidity. Fans and cooling systems were limited to the stage, offering no relief to the attendees.Drinking water facilities were also insufficient, which led to growing discomfort among the crowd that had been seated for hours. The commission noted that these conditions contributed to increasing restlessness, ultimately resulting in a sudden rush towards exits once the event ended.The stampede occurred near a highway adjacent to a muddy slope, which was not barricaded or secured for safety. Additionally, water from tankers was spilled on the road, making the surface slippery and dangerous for the fast-moving crowd. This combination of factors turned the area into a high-risk zone, where many people lost their footing and were trampled as others tried to escape the rush.The report also detailed the role of sevadars (volunteers) in worsening the situation. To facilitate Bhole Baba’s exit, his sevadars formed a human chain on both sides of the highway to hold back the crowd.Once the preacher had left, the volunteers abruptly dispersed, causing a sudden surge of devotees towards their vehicles. With the highway already congested, the stampede intensified near the slippery and muddy slope. The panel suggested that some devotees might have bent down to collect dust as a blessing, making them more vulnerable to being caught in the crowd’s movement.One of the most damning findings of the report is that all security, crowd control, and traffic management responsibilities were entirely handed over to the event organisers and their sevadars, with local police and administration taking a passive role.The commission strongly criticised this approach, stating that ensuring public safety is a fundamental duty of law enforcement and cannot be outsourced to private individuals.It found that sevadars exclusively handled security and crowd control while also restricting photography, videography, and media coverage at the event. This lack of transparency, the report suggested, may have hampered timely intervention when the situation spiraled out of control.The inquiry revealed that the event’s chief organiser, Dev Prakash Madhukar, submitted a formal application to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Sikandrarao on June 18, 2024, seeking permission for a gathering of 80,000 people.The application was accompanied by letters of support from local representatives, including the village head of Phulrai Mugalgadhi, a district council member, and the MLA of Sikandrarao constituency, Virendra Singh Rana.The SDM forwarded the application for police verification on the same day. However, the verification process was rushed, with responsibility for the security assessment changing hands multiple times before final approval was granted within hours.Critically, no physical inspection of the venue was conducted before granting permission. The approval process was purely mechanical, with officials failing to examine the documents attached to the application or verify the claims made by the organisers.
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