Hathras stampede: Bhole Baba says ready for probe, police teams formed to catch him and his aides

WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR:

• Five teams were formed to search for the accused concerning the stampede. The accused, ‘mukhya sevadar‘ Devprakash Madhukar, and the personal security of Bhole Baba are under the radar. Raids are being conducted to search for the people associated with the organising committee, Madhukar.

• Mobile numbers of all the accused have been put under surveillance. Madhukar made the last call to Bhole Baba, after which the phone was switched off. Bhole Baba does not carry any phone with him and talks to people only through a close ‘sevadar‘.

• Earlier on Wednesday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Hathras and met the injured and families of some of those who died in the stampede. He also ordered into the matter by a judicial commission headed by a retired High Court judge.

• According to the state government, retired Allahabad High Court judge Brijesh Kumar Srivastav will lead the inquiry commission, which will submit its report in two months. Retired IAS officers Hemant Rao and Bhavesh Kumar are the other members.

• Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak called the stampede sad and said the state government immediately acted by constituting a judicial enquiry and magisterial investigation.

  He said every district magistrate and Superintendent of Police (SP) were instructed to ensure such incidents don’t happen again. He said 20 people were seriously injured and medical aid was provided by the government.

• Uttar Pradesh minister Asim Arun on Wednesday said the state government has started work on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for granting permission for large gatherings to prevent such incidents in future. He added the Chief Minister instructed officials to prepare the SOPs and permission for events would be granted only if the “basic, minimum” conditions for amenities are met.

• Meanwhile, Bhole Baba’s lawyer AP Singh said the controversial preacher was ready to cooperate with the state administration and the police probing Tuesday’s stampede. He also said Bhole Baba’s trust members will meet the victims of the tragedy today.

• Two pleas were filed in courts on Wednesday in connection with the tragedy. An advocate filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court, seeking the appointment of a five-member expert committee under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge to probe the incident.

  In the Allahabad High Court, another PIL sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

• Bhole Baba’s ashrams will be searched in Dausa (Rajasthan), Shajahanapur (Uttar Pradesh) and Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh). Hathras police will also question Bhole Baba when he is caught. He will also be asked who was with him at Tuesday’s ‘satsang‘.