The Uttar Pradesh government has established a three-member judicial commission to investigate the Hathras stampede that resulted in over 120 deaths.
The commission will be led by former Allahabad High Court judge Justice Brijesh Kumar Srivastav (II) and will include IAS officer Hemant Rao and retired IPS officer Bhavesh Kumar.
The stampede occurred during a satsang organized to meet a self-styled godman, Narayan Saakar Hari, also known as ‘Bhole Baba,’ formerly Suraj Pal.
Reports indicate that the event drew a crowd of over two lakh devotees, despite permission being granted for only around 80,000 attendees.
The Uttar Pradesh police have registered a criminal case against the event organizers.
According to the government’s directive, the commission must complete its investigation within two months and will examine several aspects of the incident, including:
Whether the incident was an accident, a conspiracy, or a planned criminal act.
The adequacy of crowd control arrangements made by the district administration and police.
The commission will also assess whether the organizers complied with the conditions set by the district administration for the event.
Additionally, the commission will recommend preventive measures to avoid such incidents in the future.
On July 3, two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) were filed regarding the issue, one before the Allahabad High Court and the other before the Supreme Court.
The plea before the Supreme Court has requested the formation of a five-member expert committee under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge to investigate the incident.
The plea before the Allahabad High Court has called for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe and an independent judicial inquiry.
