Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Friday criticized administrative lapses in the Hathras stampede incident that resulted in over 100 fatalities. However, he refrained from making it a political issue.

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After meeting the victims' families in Hathras, Gandhi expressed grief over the tragic loss of lives, emphasizing that many families have suffered. He noted, "There have been some lapses on the part of the administration."

"It is a sad incident. Several people have died. I don't want to say this from a political prism but there have been deficiencies on the part of the administration and the important thing is that maximum compensation should be given as they are poor families. I request UP CM Yogi Adityanath to provide compensation open-heartedly. If there is a delay in the compensation, it will not benefit anyone. I had a personal conversation with the family members of the deceased and they told me that there was no police arrangement. They are in shock and I just wanted to understand their situation...," Rahul Gandhi said, ANI reported. 

Gandhi's early morning journey from Delhi to Hathras was accompanied by state Congress chief Ajay Rai, state Congress in-charge Avinash Pande, and other party officials. They met with grieving families at Green Park in Vibhav Nagar colony.

According to police, of the 121 people who died due to the stampede at self-styled godman Baba Bhole's satsang on July 2, 17 were from Aligarh and 19 were from Hathras.

(With PTI inputs)

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