Hathras stampede: Forensic team arrives at incident site for investigation

Hathras (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 3 : A day after the stampede incident in the Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh which has claimed 121 lives so far, the forensic team of the state police along with the dog squad arrived at the incident site to collect incident for a comprehensive probe.

A member of the forensic team said that the belongings of the devotees such as footwear and sheets were found at the incident site.
However, he also said that he would not be able to reveal the details further.
"There are no such specific things to collect from here, it is only the belongings of the devotees such as shoes and sheets used for sitting. However, we would not be able to reveal what further we have found", said the member of the Forensic team.
The death toll in the Hathras stampede incident, which occurred during a 'Satsang', rose to 121 whereas 28 people have sustained injuries so far, an official statement from the Office of Relief Commissioner said.
According to officials, Of the 28 injured, six people are undergoing treatment at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Aligarh; six people are admitted at Deen Dayal Hospital in Aligarh; nine people are under treatment at Bagla Hospital in Hathras; one at Agra SN Medical College while six are undergoing treatment at Etah Medical College in Hathras.
Meanwhile, Sandip Kumar Singh Lodhi, Minister of State for Education (Independent Charge) in the Government of Uttar Pradesh confirmed that a total of 35 people sustained injuries.
"It is a very unfortunate incident and we have been following up on every update from Hathras all night. It is really sad that the death toll has reached 121. About 35 people are injured," he said.
Uttar Pradesh police have launched a search operation at Ram Kutir Charitable Trust in Mainpuri district in search of Narayan Saakar Hari also known as Bhole Baba, the preacher of the 'Satsang' in Hathras, where the stampede incident occurred on Tuesday claiming lives of over hundred people and leaving dozens of others injured.
The preacher however remains untraceable.
"We did not find Baba ji inside the campus. He is not here," Deputy SP Sunil Kumar said earlier.
Uttar Pradesh Police have filed an FIR against the organisers of the religious event in Hathras. 'Mukhya Sewadar' Devprakash Madhukar and other organizers have been named as accused in the case registered at Sikandara Rao police station on Tuesday night.
An eyewitness in the Hathras stampede incident, Shakuntala Devi said, "There was a Satsang of Bhole Baba going on. Right after the Satsang finished, several people started coming out from there. A stampede took place as the road was uneven and people fell on each other..."
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday vowed a thorough investigation into the incident to determine whether it was an "accident or a conspiracy."
CM Yogi affirmed that the state government is committed to uncovering the truth behind the Hathras incident.
"Doing politics instead of expressing condolences on such an incident is extremely unfortunate and condemnable. The government is already sensitive in this matter and the government will get to the bottom of this matter whether this is an accident or a conspiracy, and give appropriate punishment to all those responsible for this incident", he said.
Chief Minister further said that to ensure a thorough investigation, a team has been formed under the chairmanship of Additional DG Agra, tasked with providing a detailed report.