Yogi Adityanath should provide 'maximum compensation': Rahul Gandhi after meeting Hathras stampede victims

Rahul Gandhi, Rae Bareli MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Friday urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to provide "maximum compensation" to the victims of the Hathras tragedy without any delay. He said that the compensation should be disbursed at the earliest as most of them are poor. 

"They are poor people and they need it (compensation) now. If you give them after 6 months, after a year or delay it, then it will not benefit anyone. Compensation should be given as soon as possible," he said. 

Gandhi went to meet the families of those who died in the stampede at self-styled godman Bhole Baba's satsang in Hathras. He also said that while he does not want to give the matter overtly political tunes, there were lapses on the part of the administration in the incident which claimed the lives of 121 people. 

"I don't want to speak from a political prism, but there have been some lapses on part of the administration. There have been mistakes, which should be identified,' Gandhi told reporters after meeting the victims' families. 

He added that he had a "personal" interaction with the family members of the stampede victims. 

"They said that there was a lapse on the part of the administration. They said that the police arrangement that should have been made was not there. But they are grieving and are in shock. I am trying to understand their situation," Gandhi said.

Hari Mohan, one of the many victims who met the Congress leader today, said that Rahul Gandhi assured them that he would make an effort to get the amount of compensation increased. 

Before coming to Hathras, Rahul Gandhi stopped at Aligarh to meet the victims.  He reached Pilakhna village in Aligarh at 7.15 am and reached Vibhav Nagar colony's Green Park in Hathras at 9 am.

"He spoke to us and tried to understand our issues. He said he would raise the issue in Parliament so that such incidents do not happen in the future," a resident of Aligarh said.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday formed a 3-member judicial panel headed by a retired high court judge to prove the Hathras tragedy.  The panel has also been tasked to look into the possibility of whether there could have been a "conspiracy" behind the stampede. 

(With PTI inputs)