Hathras stampede: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Sunday urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to increase the amount of compensation for the victims of those who died or got injured in a massive stampede at a 'satsang' in Hathras on July 2. A total of 121 people, mostly women, died in the stampede at self-styled godman Baba Bhole's 'satsang.
Notably, the Uttar Pradesh government had earlier announced that the families of the deceased would receive Rs 2 lakh each and the injured would receive Rs 50,000 each in compensation.
Rahul Gandhi's letter to UP CM Yogi
In his letter to Yogi Adityanath, Rahul Gandhi, who met the families of the stampede victims on Friday morning, called for a fair and transparent investigation into the tragedy. He further said that the compensation should be given as soon as possible and the injured be given proper treatment. "I am shocked by the news of the death of more than 120 people in the stampede incident in Hathras. I am writing this letter to you with pain in my heart and I know that you too must be feeling the same pain," he said.
The Congress leader said he had met many aggrieved families of the Aligarh and Hathras districts and tried to share their pain. "Yesterday morning, I met with several families from Aligarh and Hathras districts and tried to share their pain. "The incident is so tragic that I fell short of words of consolation while meeting the family members (of victims). It is not possible to compensate for what many families have lost in this incident in any way, but we can definitely try to reduce their suffering by helping the affected families in every possible way," Gandhi said in his letter in Hindi.
Rahul Gandhi seeks increase in compensation
Uring to increase the compensation, Rahul Gandhi said, "The compensation announced by the Uttar Pradesh government is very inadequate. I urge that the amount of compensation be increased and it should be given as soon as possible. Additionally, the injured should be given proper treatment and they should also be given proper compensation."
"The victim families also shared with me that the negligence and insensitivity of the local administration is responsible for this entire incident. A proper and transparent investigation in this case will not only be a step towards preventing such incidents in the future, but it will also restore the faith of these victim families in the justice system," the Congress leader said.
The MP said that from the viewpoint of justice, it is also necessary that the guilty persons be given "severe punishment". "In this hour of grief, it is the responsibility of all of us to support the affected families. All the workers of the Congress Party and I myself are available to provide you every possible support in this matter. It is hoped that seeing the seriousness of this entire matter, you will give special priority to the work to be done in relation to the assistance," he added.
Judicial commission to probe incident
The Uttar Pradesh government formed a three-member judicial commission on Wednesday, headed by a retired high court judge, to investigate the Hathras tragedy and explore the possibility of a "conspiracy" behind the stampede.
Additionally, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Additional Director General of Police (Agra Zone) Anupam Kulshreshtha is compiling a detailed report on the incident, which will be submitted to the UP government.
So far, nine people, including two women and three senior citizens, have been arrested in connection with the case, with "several unidentified sevadars (volunteers)" of the satsang mentioned as accused. The 'godman' is not an accused in this case.
Also Read: Hathras stampede: Two more arrested, Bhole Baba may also be summoned, say police
