Hathras stampede: Plea in SC Seeks Expert Panel Probe Over Incident

The plea, filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, has also sought a direction to the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a status report on the July 2 incident and to initiate legal action against the authorities, officials and others for their negligent conduct.

The petition has sought a direction to the states to submit the status of medical facilities available from the block/Tehsil to the district level to deal with incidents of stampede.

It has also sought the apex court's direction to the states to issue guidelines to prevent stampede or other incidents for the safety of the public in organising any religious or other events where a large number of people gather.

A stampede at a religious congregation on Tuesday killed 121 people, most of them women, as devotees suffocated to their deaths and bodies piled atop each other in the worst such tragedy in recent years.

Over 2.5 lakh devotees had gathered in Hathras district's Phulrai village for the 'satsang' conducted by Baba Narayan Hari, who is also known as Saakar Vishwahari Bhole Baba.

According to the Office of the Relief Commissioner, while the toll has risen to 121, the number of people injured in the incident stands at 28.

The Uttar Pradesh Police has registered an FIR against the organisers, accusing them of hiding evidence and flouting conditions with 2.5 lakh people gathering for the event in which only 80,000 were permitted.

The plea filed in the apex court has sought a direction for the appointment of an expert committee to enquire into the stampede incident and also to direct the panel to suggest and frame guidelines, and safety measures to avoid such incidents.

"Such incident prima facie depicts the serious condition of responsibility lapse, negligence and unfaithful duty of care towards the public by the government authorities," it claimed.

The plea further alleged that various such incidents have taken place in India in the past wherein due to mismanagement, lapse in duty, and negligent maintenance activities, there have been cases of huge public casualties which could have been avoided.

"There are several questions which are brewing up from this horrific incident of stampede thereby questioning the duty and lapse of state government and municipal corporations," it claimed, adding that the authorities had failed in controlling the crowd which gathered for the event.

It referred to some past incidents of stampede in the country in religious festivals, ceremonies and events.

The plea has arrayed the Centre, several other states and Union Territories as party respondents.

The FIR lodged in the case alleged that the organisers hid the actual number of devotees coming to the 'satsang' while seeking permission, did not cooperate in traffic management and hid evidence after the stampede, which broke out after people gathered there stopped to collect mud from the way the baba's vehicle was passing.