Hathras tragedy: Godman's lawyer alleges 'poisonous sprays' caused stampede

Hathras stampede update: The tragedy occurred on July 2 during an event led by Suraj Pal Singh, also known as 'Bhole Baba', a self-styled godman, in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras

More than a week after a tragic stampede at a ‘Satsang’ event in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras claimed the lives of 121 devotees, mainly women and children, new allegations have surfaced regarding the cause of the disaster. 

Advocate AP Singh, representing the ‘Baba’, has now suggested that the chaos was incited by ‘unidentified individuals’ who allegedly used ‘poisonous sprays’ at the gathering.

According to Singh, this group fled the scene immediately after deploying the sprays, hinting at a premeditated conspiracy. “Unidentified men were carrying poisonous sprays. They ran while spraying it, causing many to lose consciousness. It appeared to be a part of a pre-planned conspiracy. I urge the Special Investigation Team [SIT] to investigate who all are behind this incident,” Singh was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

 

The stampede occurred on July 2 during an event led by Suraj Pal Singh, also known as ‘Bhole Baba’, a self-styled godman, in Fulari village, Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh. 

In response to the catastrophe, ‘Bhole Baba’ expressed his condolences and called for justice. “I am deeply saddened by the incident of July 2. May God give us the strength to bear this pain. Please keep faith in the government and the administration. I have faith that those who created the chaos will not be spared. Through my lawyer AP Singh, I have requested the members of the committee to stand with the bereaved families and the injured and help them throughout their lives,” the ‘Baba’ said.

Meanwhile, Devprakash Madhukar, the main organiser of the event, has been detained and placed in judicial custody for 14 days following his recent arrest in New Delhi. After being elusive with a Rs 100,000 reward for information on his whereabouts, Madhukar was questioned in court regarding the permissions for the large gathering, which he claimed to have obtained from the SDM for up to 80,000 attendees. He denied any efforts to publicise the event extensively.

Further developments in the investigation saw the arrests of two more suspects, Ramprakash Shakya and Sanju Yadav, enhancing the police’s probe into the incident that has gripped the nation.