A judicial commission investigating the Hathras stampede, which led to 121 deaths, has blamed administrative failures for the tragedy while also hinting at a possible conspiracy. The report highlighted that permission was given for 80,000 people, but the crowd grew to over 2.5 lakh. Though it did not hold Bhole Baba personally responsible, it pointed to lapses by authorities and his ‘sevadars’ as key reasons behind the disaster.
Hathras: A judicial commission investigating the tragic stampede at a ‘satsang‘ in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, which resulted in the deaths of 121 individuals on July 2 last year, has attributed the disaster primarily to “administrative lapses” while suggesting the potential for a larger conspiracy.
The extensive 1,680-page report, presented to the UP assembly on Wednesday, did not hold Bhole Baba, also known as Narayan Saakar Hari, personally accountable for the incident.
Instead, it emphasized the role of administrative failures and his ‘sevadars‘ as significant contributors to the tragedy.
The commission, led by retired Allahabad High Court judge Brijesh Kumar Srivastava, along with retired IAS officer Hemant Rao and former IPS officer Bhavesh Kumar Singh, noted that while permission was granted for an audience of 80,000, actual attendance swelled to between 250,000 and 300,000 without any efforts by the administration to manage the arrangements.
The report stated,
“Basic safeguards had been ignored.”
In light of its findings, the commission proposed over 20 recommendations aimed at preventing similar disasters in the future. It highlighted the absence of a proper route plan for the arrival and departure of Bhole Baba, which contributed to the chaos.
Furthermore, fire safety protocols and emergency measures, essential for event approval, were neither implemented nor verified by the administration.
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The situation worsened as Bhole Baba’s ‘sevadars‘ assumed control of crowd management instead of law enforcement, limiting police oversight during the gathering.
The commission indicated that this raised suspicions of a conspiracy, noting,
“No prior information regarding individuals designated as sevadars or commanders was shared with the police, leaving their verification incomplete. Such individuals could potentially be involved in a conspiracy to discredit the government, escalate the event, or exploit the situation.”
Despite preparations beginning nearly 10 days in advance with devotees arriving in phases, there was no inspection conducted by officials from the police, administration, fire department, PWD, UP Roadways, or any pertinent agency.
The panel concluded that this lack of oversight and coordination was a significant factor in the tragedy.
Following the report’s release, Bhole Baba’s advocate, A.P. Singh, expressed approval of the findings, stating, “
The judicial commission constituted by CM Adityanath has given a clean chit to my client. The report also exposed the conspirators who made allegations against my client.”
The Hathras stampede happened on July 2, 2024, during a religious gathering (Satsang) led by spiritual leader Suraj Pal, also called ‘Bhole Baba’, in Fulari village, Hathras district, Uttar Pradesh. The event was allowed for 80,000 people, but over 2.5 lakh devotees came, causing a deadly stampede that took 121 lives.
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