Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticized the Uttar Pradesh government for attempting to evade responsibility for the Hathras stampede, which claimed 121 lives, by making minor arrests. Yadav accused the government of not learning from administrative failures and emphasized the need for a judicial inquiry into the arrests, labeling them as a conspiracy. He highlighted the plight of the attendees, mostly poor and marginalized, blaming the BJP government for neglecting their welfare and demanding accountability for the tragic incident.