UP to develop SOPs for gatherings to prevent Hathras-like tragedy
Following the tragic stampede in Hathras that claimed 121 lives, Uttar Pradesh Minister of State for Social Welfare Asim Arun announced on Wednesday that the state government is developing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for large gatherings. The move, initiated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, aims to prevent such incidents in the future. "Permission for events would be granted only if the 'basic, minimum' conditions for amenities are met," Arun said.
SOPs to address crowd management and civic amenities
Arun explained that the new SOPs will apply to all gatherings, regardless of size. "The state will have a more detailed SOP now for any such gathering, whether it has 1,000 or 100,000 people," he said. The procedures will address civic amenities such as toilets, water tankers and escape points. "All future permissions would be granted only if these amenities are taken care of either by the organisers themselves or by a government agency," Arun added.
Organisers' negligence contributed to Hathras tragedy
Regarding the Hathras stampede, Arun pointed out several instances of negligence by the organizers of the tragic event. These included inadequate parking space, leading to buses being parked on the national highway, and insufficient entry and exit routes. He suggested that better planning could have prevented the tragedy. An FIR has already been lodged against event organizers for exceeding the permitted limit of 80,000 attendees, with numbers swelling to over 250,000.
Judicial inquiry ordered into Hathras stampede incident
The stampede was reportedly triggered by a rush for dust stirred up by the car of self-styled godman Narayan Sakar Hari, or Bhole Baba. The FIR alleges that Hari's aides, known as sevadars, stopped the crowd from approaching him, leading to people rushing and falling on each other. However, Baba, whose real name is Suraj Pal Singh, has not been named in the police case.
Bhole Baba expresses condolences, threatens legal action
On Wednesday night, the godman issued a statement expressing condolences to the families of the deceased and declared he would take legal action against "anti-social elements" that allegedly engineered the chaos. Meanwhile, state police chief Prashant Kumar said that any action against him would be based on facts that comes to light during the ongoing investigation.
