Yogi Adityanath sniffs 'conspiracy', orders judicial probe

HATHRAS: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited Hathras on Wednesday after the stampede at the religious event conducted by preacher Bhole Baba on Tuesday that has claimed 121 lives so far. He ordered a judicial inquiry, led by a retired HC judge, and added that he suspected a “possible conspiracy” behind the tragedy.
Yogi said that retired administrative and police officials will also be part of the judicial inquiry.“Such an incident cannot be considered a mere accident. If it is indeed an accident, those responsible must be identified; if not, the conspiracy behind it must be uncovered,” he added.
Without naming anyone specifically, the CM said, “Some people tend to politicise such sad and painful incidents.” “These people have the nature of chori bhi aur seenajori bhi (committing a crime and then being brazen about it). Everyone knows with whom the preacher’s photos are and his political connections,” he said in an apparent reference to Bhole Baba’s pictures with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav that started circulating soon after the incident. “You must have seen which were the rallies witnessing chaos and stampede-like situations during the Lok Sabha election campaign,” Yogi said, adding “It is necessary to go into details of these factors.”
The CM also held the event organisers and sevadars (volunteers present at the site) responsible for the deaths. “The most distressing aspect was that the volunteers did not allow the administration to enter the premises initially and tried to suppress the incident. When the administration started sending people to the hospital, the volunteers fled the scene,” he said. “Strict action will be taken against those found guilty and we will ensure such incidents do not occur in the future,” Yogi added.
During his visit, the CM informed the media that some of the 121 deceased were from Uttar Pradesh, while others hailed from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Haryana. Specifically, people from 16 districts in Uttar Pradesh, including Hathras, Badaun, Kasganj, Etah, Lalitpur, Firozabad, Mathura, Pilibhit, and Lakhimpur Kheri, were affected. Six victims were from other states, including one from Madhya Pradesh, four from Haryana, and four from Rajasthan.