The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on July 10 alleged that the SIT report presented on the Hathras stampede seems politically motivated. She said the silent approach towards chief organiser Narayan Sakar Hari (Bhole Baba) in the report is a cause for concern and it seems that an attempt has been made to give him a clean chit in the entire incident.
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“The tragic death of 121 innocent people, including women and children, in the stampede at the satsang in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh is a living proof of government negligence. The report presented to the government by the SIT seems to be more politically motivated than based on the gravity of the incident, which is very sad. The silence of the SIT regarding the role of Bhole Baba, the main organiser of this deadly incident, is also a cause of concern among the people. Also, the attempt to give him a clean chit instead of taking strict action against him is a matter of much discussion. The government must pay attention so that such incidents do not reoccur,” wrote Ms. Mayawati, a former four-time Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister on X.
The SIT report did not make any specific mention of Bhole Baba, who hosted the event. It flagged several lapses on the part of the local administration and organisers which subsequently led to the suspension of six officials. But the report did not rule out a “big conspiracy” behind the stampede. The gathering saw the participation of more than 2,50,000 people as against the permitted limit of 80,000.
