Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to visit Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, where a tragic stampede claimed the lives of 123 people during a religious gathering two days ago, as confirmed by senior party leader K C Venugopal on Thursday. Describing the incident as ‘unfortunate’, Venugopal, who serves as the Congress General Secretary (Organisation), mentioned that Gandhi, also the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, intends to meet and interact with those affected by the tragedy during his visit.
Following the incident, the Uttar Pradesh government has initiated a judicial probe into the matter. Police have filed a First Information Report (FIR) against the organizers of the congregation, alleging concealment of evidence and violation of regulations. The gathering reportedly swelled to 2.5 lakh people, far exceeding the permitted capacity of 80,000.
In a related development, police conducted a search at the ashram of religious preacher Jagat Guru Saakar Vishwahari Bhole Baba in Hathras, confirming later that he was not present at the premises. Security personnel have been stationed outside the ashram since the stampede occurred during the preacher’s congregation.
On Wednesday, the Uttar Pradesh government formed a three-member judicial commission, headed by a retired high court judge, to investigate the Hathras tragedy. The commission’s mandate includes exploring the possibility of any conspiracy behind the stampede, with a deadline set for submitting its report within two months.