NEW DELHI, July 5: The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi after a visit to Hathras on Friday said there were lapses on the part of the administration in the stampede incident that cost the lives of over 120 people. He, however, quickly added that he did not want to politicise the issue.
Mr Gandhi also urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to release “maximum compensation” for the victims without any delay.
Speaking to reporters after meeting the victims of the stampede, Mr Gandhi said, “It is a matter of grief that so many families have suffered, so many people lost their lives.” “I don’t want to speak from a political prism, but there have been some lapses on part of the administration. There have been mistakes, which should be identified,” the senior Congress leader said. A total of 121 people, mostly women, died in the stampede at self-styled godman Baba Bhole’s satsang in Hathras on Tuesday.
Mr Gandhi said this was a tough time for the victims and they would need the compensation quickly as they are poor. He urged the U.P. Chief Minister to provide “maximum compensation.” “They are poor people and they need it (compensation) now. If you give them after six months, after a year or delay it, then it will not benefit anyone. Compensation should be given as soon as possible,” he said.
The senior Congress leader also said he had a “personal” interaction with the family members of the stampede victims. “They said there was a lapse on the part of the administration. They said the police arrangement that should have been made was not there. But they are grieving and are in shock. I am trying to understand their situation,” he said.
Before meeting family members in Hathras, Mr Gandhi made a stop at Aligarh and met the kin of victims from the district. Mr Gandhi left from Delhi early morning by road and was accompanied by U.P. Congress chief Ajay Rai, State Congress in charge Avinash Pande, party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate and other office bearers of the party during his visit to Aligarh and Hathras.
Hari Mohan, a Hathras resident who lost his aunt in the stampede, said, “Rahul Gandhi interacted with us and extended his sympathies. He said he would make an effort to get the compensation amount for victims increased,” he said. Mrityunjay Bharti (22), a resident of Aligarh who lost her maternal grandmother in the tragedy, said: “He spoke to us and tried to understand our issues. He said he would raise the issue in Parliament so that such incidents do not happen in future.”
Security had been beefed up in Hathras since morning for Rahul Gandhi’s arrival. A large number of police personnel were deployed on key city routes while multi-layered security rings were present at the venue at Vibhav Nagar colony. The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday had formed a three-member judicial commission headed by a retired high court judge to probe the Hathras tragedy and to look into the possibility of whether there was a “conspiracy” behind the stampede.
(Manas Dasgupta)