Rahul Gandhi meets family members of stampede victims in Hathras

A total of 121 people, mostly women, died in a stampede at self-styled godman Baba Bhole’s satsang in Hathras on Tuesday, 2 July.

‘Don’t want to make it political’

Rahul Gandhi said there were lapses on the part of the administration in the Hathras stampede incident that killed over 100 people, but added that he did not want to make it “political”.

Speaking to reporters after meeting the victims of the stampede in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras in Hathras on Friday morning, Gandhi said, “It is a matter of grief that so many families have suffered, so many people lost their lives.”

“I don’t want to speak from a political prism but there have been some lapses on the part of the administration,” the senior Congress leader said.

In Aligarh, the Congress leader was seen interacting with the family members of the victims of the Hathras stampede. 17 people from Aligarh and 19 from Hathras died in the stampede.

Rai told PTI that Gandhi left Delhi around 5.10 am. He reached Pilakhna village in Aligarh around 7.15 am.

Earlier, Rai told PTI that Rahul Gandhi will first make a condolence visit at Pilakhna in Aligarh and will later meet the families of the victims at Green Park and Vibhav Nagar near Navipur Khurd in Hathras.

Also Read: Hathras stampede death toll rises to 121: Tamil Nadu and Kerala CMs express anguish

Rahul meets victims

Monu, a family member of the deceased, when asked about’s Gandhi visit, said, “He also said that he will try his best to help (us), and will talk to the government as his party is not in power.”

Khusboo, who had lost her mother, said that she would get help.

Another woman who lost her sister-in-law in the stampede told reporters, “He (Rahul Gandhi) told us that the (Congress) party will help us, and assured us help. He also inquired from us how it (the incident) took place.”

She also said that there was laxity in treatment given to the victims, and added that they could have survived.

Congress MP from Saharanpur Imran Masood was also present where Gandhi met the families of victims.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday, 3 July, formed a three-member judicial commission headed by a retired high court judge to probe the Hathras tragedy, looking also into the possibility that a conspiracy was behind the stampede.

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