India stampede: Rahul Gandhi meets family members of victims

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday (July 5) morning reached Hathras in Uttar Pradesh to meet with the Kin of the people affected by the July 2 deadly stampede.

Gandhi also stopped in Aligarh and interacted with families of the victims of the tragedy that took place at a religious 'satsang' event in which 121people were killed.

After his meeting Gandhi said one of the kin of the deceased told him that enough police arrangements were not in place for the religious event, which led to the stampede.

Gandhi further said he didn't want to politicise the tragedy and demanded more compensation for the families of those who died.

"It is a sad incident. Several people have died. I don't want to address this from a political perspective, but there have been deficiencies on the part of the administration. The important thing is that maximum compensation should be given, as these are poor families. I request UP CM Yogi Adityanath to provide compensation generously,” the Congress MP said.

“Any delay in compensation will not benefit anyone. I had a personal conversation with the family members of the deceased, and they told me there was no police presence. They are in shock, and I just wanted to understand their situation," Rahul was further quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Police conducted a search operation at Ram Kutir Charitable Trust in Mainpuri on Thursday (July 4) for the self-styled godman.

An FIR has been registered in the incident, naming organisers of the event.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Mainpuri Sunil Kumar said on Thursday (July 4)that 'Bhole Baba was not found inside his ashram.

Earlier on Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the site of the tragedy and ordered a judicial probe into the incident.

The police on Thursday arrested six organisers of a religious gathering in Hathras district where thestampede broke out.

The policealso announced a ₹1 lakh ($1197.69) bounty on the arrest of the main accused, identified as Prakash Madhukar.

Who is Bhole Baba?

The preacher who is commonly known as'Bhole Baba' is a former UP police staffer who worked with the Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) for 18 years. He took voluntary retirement in 1990 to pursue the path of spirituality.

Today, he is followed by thousands of people across north India, including in states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan and the capital Delhi.

Bhole Baba is not active on social media but he says his organisational structure is solid at the grassroots level.

He usually organises his religious events in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh every Tuesday where hundreds of 'devotees' assemble. During such gatherings, volunteers ensure necessary arrangements for the visitors, including food and drinks.

Bhole Baba previously came to the limelight when he continued holding large religious events showing no regard for COVID-19 restrictions.

(With inputs from agencies)