July 5, 2024
NEW DELHI – Congress on Thursday announced that party leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi will visit Hathras district in Uttar Pradesh to interact with the victims of the ‘Bhole Baba Satsang’ tragedy that claimed more than 121 lives and left several injured.
“It was an unfortunate incident. The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is planning to visit Hathras. He will go there and interact with the people who are affected,” General Secretary KC Venugopal told reporters in Delhi.
However, he did not specify when the Congress leader would visit the Uttar Pradesh district.
At least 121 people, mostly women, were crushed to death after a stampede broke out during a ‘satsang’ (religious gathering) of ‘godman’ Narayan Sakar Shri Hari, also known as Bhole Baba, making it the worst-ever stampede tragedy in Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, dozens of people were injured in the incident.
The stampede, which occurred during the ‘Bhole Baba Satsang’, has been attributed to laxity on the part of the organizers.
Following the incident, Gandhi expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and urged INDIA bloc workers to provide all possible assistance to the victims.
“The news of the death of many devotees due to the stampede during the satsang in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, is extremely painful. I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families and hope for the speedy recovery of the injured,” the Congress leader said in his initial reaction to the incident.
He called on the Uttar Pradesh government and administration to ensure every possible treatment for the injured and relief for the affected families.
“All workers of INDIA (Congress-led alliance) are requested to provide their cooperation in relief and rescue,” he added.