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A special team investigating the tragic stampede during a religious gathering in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, has said that a call to gather “Charan Raj” (holy dust from the feet) of spiritual leader Bhole Baba caused the chaos. This stampede occurred on July 2, leading to 121 deaths.

The team, led by former judge Brijesh Kumar Srivastava, dismissed claims from organizers that a harmful spray was used to start the stampede. They believe that rumors about the spray were made up by Bhole Baba’s followers to distract from the real cause of the stampede.

The investigation report, which is 1,680 pages long, was shared with the Uttar Pradesh government and discussed in the state assembly. According to the report, many eyewitnesses said that Bhole Baba promised that gathering the Charan Raj would solve all their problems. When people rushed to collect it, they lost control, leading to the stampede.

The commission also noted that there were too many people at the event, far exceeding the number of attendees allowed. No announcements were made to help manage the crowd. Eyewitnesses reported that the crowd was three times bigger than expected, making it hard for Bhole Baba to leave the venue.

The report criticized the event’s management, saying that the organizers kept police and officials away and did not let the media cover the event. People responsible for managing the crowd were not known to the authorities, making the situation more dangerous.

The commission suggests that there may have been a plan behind the stampede to divert attention. They recommend a deeper investigation into the matter. Meanwhile, Bhole Baba’s lawyer, AP Singh, continues to claim that unknown individuals sprayed a harmful substance.

The Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given the green light for two ropeway projects at the important religious sites of Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib in Uttarakhand. These new ropeways will make it easier for pilgrims to reach these places, which are visited by millions every year.

The Kedarnath ropeway will stretch 12.9 km and connect different stops, making the journey faster and more comfortable. Instead of taking about 8 to 9 hours to travel around 16 km by foot or pony, it will now take just 36 minutes! This is great news for elderly people and those with disabilities. The ropeway can carry 1,800 passengers every hour, which means it can move 18,000 people in one day. The project will cost ₹4,081.28 crore and will be built as a partnership between the government and private companies.

Kedarnath, located high in the mountains at 3,583 m (11,968 ft), is an important place for Hindu pilgrims. The temple here is open for about six to seven months each year and attracts around two million visitors during that time.

The Hemkund Sahib project is another exciting development. This ropeway will be 12.4 km long and will help visitors reach the holy site for Sikhs and the stunning Valley of Flowers, a UNESCO World Heritage site that attracts between 150,000 to 200,000 visitors each year. The project will cost about ₹2,730.13 crore and will use a different type of gondola system to carry passengers.

Additionally, the government has rolled out a new disease control program for livestock that focuses on important issues like foot and mouth disease and brucellosis. The total budget for this program is ₹3,880 crore over the next two years and will also include initiatives to provide better access to veterinary medicines.

With these projects, the government aims to improve travel to these spiritual sites while also supporting local communities.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath shared an amazing story about a boatman during the recent Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. The boatman and his family made a whopping ₹30 crore in just 45 days! He owned 130 boats, and each one earned about ₹23 lakh during the big religious event. That’s around ₹50,000-₹52,000 every day!

While speaking in the state assembly about the budget for 2025-26, Adityanath highlighted how the Maha Kumbh brought people together from over 100 countries. He emphasized that the event did not care about caste, religion, or borders; it was a mix of tradition and progress.

The Chief Minister responded to claims of unfair treatment during the Kumbh, saying the event was open to everyone and showed off Uttar Pradesh’s strengths to the world. Despite some disagreements from opponents, he said that the faith of the devotees remained strong. More than 66 crore people took a sacred dip at the Sangam during the Kumbh.

He pointed out that while the opposition sees the visitors as a chance to get votes, his government views them as part of their heritage and faith, which is why they have the people’s trust.

Yogi Adityanath estimated that the Maha Kumbh helped the economy of Uttar Pradesh a lot, contributing about ₹3.5 lakh crore. Here’s how the money broke down:
– ₹40,000 crore from hotels
– ₹33,000 crore from food and daily needs
– ₹1.5 lakh crore from transport
– ₹20,000 crore from religious donations
– ₹660 crore from donations
– ₹300 crore from toll fees
– ₹66,000 crore from other activities

Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), went to Punjab for a 10-day meditation retreat, which caused quite a stir in politics. After losing the Delhi assembly elections to the BJP, many people criticized him for arriving in a huge security convoy. AAP’s MP Swati Maliwal compared his security to that of former US President Donald Trump.

Kejriwal is known for criticizing VIP culture, yet he was seen traveling in a large group of bulletproof cars, surrounded by over 100 police officers. BJP’s Manjinder Singh Sirsa said Kejriwal now acts like a “maharaja” instead of being a common man, which he used to pretend to be. Congress also joined in the criticism; Sandeep Dikshit pointed out that Kejriwal, who used to promote simplicity, now leads an extravagant lifestyle with an enormous convoy to attend a meditation retreat.

Kejriwal and his wife, Sunita, arrived late Tuesday at a rest house and will attend the meditation course at the Dhamma Dhaja Vipassana Centre, near Hoshiarpur.