‘Not ruling out criminal conspiracy’: Judicial panel report on Hathras stampede tabled in UP Assembly

The commission found that although crowd management was the responsibility of the organisers, they had deployed people without any prior background checks. It also found that permissions for such a large gathering were given “mechanically”, without local officials visiting the spot and most of the procedures were carried out in a day. It also blamed the organisers for gathering of over three lakh people against the estimated 80,000, who were all left out at a time after completion of the satsang and also for deciding the exit route for a self-styled preacher on the wrong side of the highway, near the exit meant for the crowd.

The incident dates back to July 2, 2024, during a satsang programme of Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari a self-styled preacher also known as Bhole Baba, at Fullerai Mughalgadhi village in Hathras. The inquiry report has not mentioned any lapses on the part of the preacher, senior police officers and administration officials, who according to the finding of the report, were not informed on time by the local officials or emergency services personnel, pointing out many such were first informed about the incident by journalists instead.

The three-member Judicial commission under retired justice Brijesh Kumar Srivastava, also comprised retired IAS officer Hemant Rao and retired IPS officer Bhavesh Kumar Singh.

While pointing out the causes and circumstances which led to the stampede, the inquiry commission observed that instead of an estimated crowd of 80,000, a crowd of around 2.5 to 3 lakh had gathered at the spot, which was let out at once soon after completion of the satsang. The report observed that there were not enough arrangements in the pandal, so the crowd was spread far and wide outside as well.

The commission observed that at the site of the incident, there was a slope of 4-6 feet on the side of the highway towards the field and there was mud there too. That side was not secured by barricading. Water was drawn out by parking tankers on the highway itself. No safety measures were taken to prevent slippery conditions, mud, etc.

Further, for the preacher’s exit, a path was made from the wrong side of the highway through a cut, while near the same cut was the gate no. 2 of the Satsang Sthal, from where all the devotees had to go and return, the report says. It found that for the preacher’s exit on the highway, the sevadars had formed a human chain to stop the crowd from both sides and while clearing the way for the preacher, the crowd was pushed back, due to which there was already a “lot of crowd pressure from both sides.”

It observed that as soon as the preacher left, the devotees were allowed to leave, due to which a huge crowd started going towards their vehicles, which put pressure on the highway at the site of the incident. It found that as soon as the preacher came out, the sevadars stopped the arrangement assuming that their work was done and suddenly those in the exiting crowd found themselves on the highway, which was slippery due to water being taken out from water tankers. As the pressure of the crowd increased and there was a slope and mud on the other side of the road, a huge crowd of people kept falling on the slope on the other side of the road, while others ran away, trampling over them. The report points out that there could be a “possibility that some of these devotees bent down to take the dust left from the feet of the preacher and got caught up in the crowd.”

Thus, the commission observed that sevadars first tried to cover the incident and later fled the spot. “There was no proper planning of the police and administration there and the police and administration were carefree, leaving the entire management to the organisers, so this situation that arose suddenly could not be controlled immediately by the police and administration,” observed the commission.

The commission also observed that the crowd management was done by organisers through their sevadars by keeping the police and administration away from all the work. No one was allowed to take photos, make videos, even the media was not allowed to cover the programme and the police was not allowed to interfere in the management.

It further pointed out that to manage the event, people from different districts of Uttar Pradesh and different states were given the responsibility as organizer, sevadar and commander. Their information was not given to the police or administration and neither is their background verified.

On the basis of this evidence, the commission observed, “In such circumstances, the possibility of a criminal conspiracy being involved as per a well-planned scheme to bring such an event into public discussion, to defame the government or to gain some other benefit, cannot be ruled out and this fact is also strengthened by the fact that many sponsored affidavits or applications have been submitted with the intention of derailing the direction of the investigation, collectively mentioning misleading facts.”

Therefore, it recommended. “it would be legal for this criminal aspect to be thoroughly investigated by the SIT investigating the crime.”

While giving recommendations to avoid such incidents from taking place in the future, the commission observed that while initial information was provided to the fire services around  2 pm on that day, senior officials were informed over an hour later by journalists and through media reports instead.

The commission has observed in its report that while District Magistrate was informed about the incident by a journalist around 3:05 pm, the Hathras Superintendent of Police was informed around 3:18 pm by a journalist, whereas the Inspector General, Agra, got to know about the incident though a news report on television. However, the report lauds the “activeness and sensitivity” shown by officials after the incident in “controlling the situation and taking injured to the hospitals or their respective destinations”.

It is also significant that while pointing towards reports of events promising ‘solutions’ to problems or ailments, the commission has recommended that “State of Uttar Pradesh should consider making such a law, which has the provision of strict punishment and heavy fines to prevent and strictly stops such illusions, delusions, superstitions and evil practices” .