Lagatar24 Desk
Hathras(UP): Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, visited Hathras on Friday to meet with the families of the victims of the recent stampede. During his visit, Gandhi pointed out significant deficiencies in the police arrangements for the religious event, which he claims led to the tragic incident.
The stampede occurred on Tuesday during a religious event dedicated to preacher Bhole Baba, resulting in the deaths of 121 people, mostly women. Gandhi, while refraining from politicizing the tragedy, emphasized the need for increased compensation for the victims’ families.
“It is a sad incident. Several people have died. I don’t want to say this from a political prism but there have been deficiencies on the part of the administration and the important thing is that maximum compensation should be given as they are poor families,” Gandhi stated. He urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to provide compensation generously and without delay, noting that the families are in shock and require immediate support.
Gandhi shared that the families of the deceased informed him about the lack of adequate police arrangements at the event. “I had a personal conversation with the family members of the deceased and they told me that there was no police arrangement. They are in shock and I just wanted to understand their situation,” he added.
Accompanying Gandhi, Congress leader Danish Ali criticized the Uttar Pradesh government for not taking the tragedy seriously. “This is an unfortunate incident. We left at 5 am with Rahul Gandhi. The stories of the victims are heart-wrenching… Neither any responsibility of the administration has been fixed nor the government is taking this seriously,” Ali said.
The Uttar Pradesh police have arrested six organizers of the event, but the main accused remains absconding. Notably, Bhole Baba has not been named in the FIR. The state government has set up a probe panel under a retired Allahabad High Court judge, while the Congress has called for a judicial probe under a serving judge.
Gandhi left for Hathras early Friday morning and visited two Aligarh villages on the way, where he met with families who lost their loved ones in the stampede. His visit and subsequent comments have drawn attention to the administrative lapses and the urgent need for support for the affected families.
