3,200-page charge sheet filed in Hathras stampede case, 11 accused named

The police have filed a 3,200-page charge sheet in connection with the deadly stampede that occurred during the Narayan Sakar Hari "Bhole Baba" congregation on July 2, claiming 121 lives. The charges have been presented to a court, and 11 individuals have been named as accused, including those responsible for securing the event's permit. The court has set October 4 for providing copies of the charge sheet to the accused, according to defense lawyer A P Singh.

On Tuesday, 10 of the accused, including the main organiser and fundraiser for the event, Dev Prakash Madhukar, were brought from Aligarh District Jail to the Hathras District Court. One accused, Manju Yadav, has been released on bail following an order from the Allahabad High Court.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) that is handling the case has submitted the charge sheet, while a separate judicial inquiry is still underway. The stampede occurred at a satsang led by Surajpal alias Bhole Baba in Fulrai village, located in Hathras’ Sikandra Rao area.

Government agencies have placed the blame on event organizers for mismanagement, highlighting that the crowd size exceeded the permitted 80,000 and reached over 250,000. Meanwhile, Bhole Baba’s lawyer claimed that an unidentified person sprayed a "poisonous substance" that triggered the chaos.

An FIR was filed on July 2, with sections under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for culpable homicide, attempt to commit culpable homicide, wrongful restraint, disobedience to public orders, and causing disappearance of evidence.

Notably, Bhole Baba himself has not been named as an accused in the case. Additionally, a three-member judicial commission, headed by a retired high court judge, was formed by the Uttar Pradesh government to investigate the tragedy and explore the possibility of a conspiracy behind the stampede.