New Delhi:

The district official – a sub divisional magistrate – who permitted ‘godman’ Bhole Baba’s ‘prayer meet’ in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras, at which a stampede killed 121 people – never inspected the venue, a team investigating the tragedy said in a report submitted to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The SIT report also said the event organisers and local administration, including the police, were negligent and held them responsible, stating they “failed to make adequate arrangements” for so large a crowd. Neither local officials nor the cops took the event “seriously”, the report said.

That the organisers – who have been held “primarily responsible” involved, or hired, individuals without police verification has been held up as an example of that negligence.

And, in a lapse of protocol, local police did not inform, as soon as they should have, their seniors of the stampede and the deaths, the report said. The probe team also echoed the Chief Minister in suggesting a “conspiracy” behind the tragedy, and has recommended a more detailed investigation.

The report is based on statements from 125 people – from eyewitnesses and survivors to police and district officials. In addition, news reports and photographs and video footage were also examined.

New Delhi:

The Hathras incident that claimed the lives of 121 followers at a satsang, or religious gathering, of a self-styled godman last week, has reached the Supreme Court over a demand for a probe led by a retired top court judge.

Supreme Court lawyer Vishal Tiwari has filed a petition demanding that the stampede tragedy be probed by a five-member expert committee under the supervision of a retired top court judge.

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has ordered the listing of the petition. The Supreme Court registry has scheduled the hearing on Friday.

The petitioner also demanded that the Uttar Pradesh government submit a status report on the incident and take legal action against those – including officials – found responsible. The petition urged the Supreme Court to frame the required guidelines.

A Special Investigative Team (SIT) probing the incident has blamed overcrowding as the main reason behind the stampede at the satsang of ‘Bhole Baba’, whose real name is Suraj Pal Singh.

The SIT, comprising Additional Director General of Police (Agra Zone) Anupam Kulshrestha and Aligarh Divisional Commissioner Chaitra V, submitted its report to the Yogi Adityanath government today.

While details are awaited, some reports claim that the SIT has said the self-styled godman and his aides could have prevented the tragedy.

According to the FIR registered in connection with the incident, the ‘satsang’ organisers had sought permission for a gathering of 80,000 people, but over 2.5 lakh followers turned up.

Reports suggest the stampede began when the ‘godman’ was leaving and his followers rushed to collect the dust stirred by his car’s tyres, thinking of it as his blessings. The godman’s private security guards started pushing his followers and in the chaos, people slipped and were trampled in the open field, according to the subdivisional magistrate’s report.

Cops have arrested nine people, including main organizer Devprakash Madhukar, so far while Bhole Baba has not been named as an accused yet.

Lucknow:

Overcrowding was the main reason behind the stampede at a ‘satsang’ in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras that claimed 121 lives, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has said in its report to the Yogi Adityanath government.

The report, prepared by Additional Director General of Police (Agra) Anupam Kulshreshtha and Aligarh Divisional Commissioner Chaitra V, has statements by 128 witnesses, including the cops on duty at the satsang of Narayan Sakar Hari, popularly called ‘Bhole Baba’. The report has been submitted to the state Home Department and Chief Minister Adityanath is likely to have a look at it today.

While details are awaited, some reports claim that the SIT has said the self-styled godman and his aides could have prevented the tragedy.  

Earlier, the FIR registered in connection with the ‘satsang’ had said that the organisers of the ‘satsang’ sought permission for a gathering of 80,000-odd people, but a crowd of 2.5 lakh turned up. A total of nine people, including main organiser of the July 2 event, Devprakash Madhukar, have been arrested.

The self-styled godman, Narayan Sakar Hari, has not been named an accused in the FIR and has been on the run since the stampede took place. His lawyer AP Singh has put out a statement, saying that the preacher is ready to cooperate with the investigators. Thereafter, the lawyer also pointed to a conspiracy and claimed that unidentified men had sprayed poison at the event, triggering the stampede.

Senior police officer Anupam Kulshreshtha told news agency PTI last week that they have not ruled out the conspiracy angle, even though evidence gathered so far suggest culpability on the part of the organisers.

The stampede, according to reports, began when the ‘godman’ was leaving and his followers rushed to collect dust stirred up by his car’s tyres. According to the subdivisional magistrate’s report, the godman’s private security guards started pushing his followers and some people fell and were trampled. In the chaos, many others fled towards the open field and slipped, and others ran over them.

In the aftermath of the incident, Chief Minister Adityanath had assured strict action, while not ruling out a conspiracy.

“If this is not an accident, then whose conspiracy is this? All of these will be probed,” he had said. Besides the SIT, a judicial panel headed by a retired high court judge is investigating the stampede.

New Delhi:

Days after 121 people were killed due to a stampede at a religious gathering in Hathras, advocate AP Singh has claimed that the incident that took the lives of 121 people, mostly women and children occurred because unidentified men sprayed poison during the event.

Singh claimed that the group of conspirators fled the venue after causing the stampede.

“Unidentified men were carrying poisonous sprays…They ran while spraying the poisonous spray and it looked as a part of a pre-planned conspiracy…Many people lost their consciousness…I urge the Special Investigation Team to investigate who all are behind this incident,” Advocate AP Singh told ANI on Saturday.

At least 121 devotees lost their lives in a stampede at a religious ‘Satsang’ event of self-styled godman Suraj Pal, alias ‘Bhole Baba’, in Fulari village, Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras, on July 2.

Meanwhile, Devprakash Madhukar, the main accused in the Hathras stampede incident, was sent to 14 days of judicial custody after being produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on Saturday. The court inquired if he had written permission for the event and from whom it was obtained. Madhukar replied that he received permission from the SDM for a gathering of 80,000 people. When asked if the event was publicised, Madhukar denied doing so.

Notably, Devprakash Madhukar had been absconding, and a reward of Rs 1 lakh was announced for information leading to his arrest. He was finally apprehended on July 5 in the national capital. Additionally, two other accused, Ramprakash Shakya and Sanju Yadav, were also arrested, according to the police.

Earlier on Saturday, self-styled godman Suraj Pal Singh or “Bhole Baba,” broke his silence in connection with the Hathras stampede in which 121 people, mostly women and children, died, stating that “those who created the chaos will not be spared.”

In a video statement, Suraj Pal, who also goes by the name of Narayan Sakar Hari expressed his grief and condoled the deaths at the tragedy that took place earlier this week during a ‘Satsang’ in Fulari village in Hathras district.

“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.

The stampede occurred during the ‘Satsang’ of self-styled godman Suraj Pal Singh, known as ‘Bhole Baba’, in Fulari village, Hathras.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Just a pat on the back by preacher “Bhole Baba” and Ramkumari said a stone in her kidney vanished. The 85-year-old gave no proof but this story and countless others of similar “miracles” led to Baba’s following rocketing in India’s northern states.

A gathering addressed by the former police head constable in a crowded field last week drew a quarter of a million people and caused one of the deadliest stampedes in the country.

Bhole Baba was born Suraj Pal Singh Jatav. He quit the police in 2000 to join a series of Hindu preachers and gurus who are sought by millions for miracle cures and spiritual advice. They are often called godmen, and many have been wooed by politicians for the influence they wield.

Their patrons have included international celebrities like the Beatles, who spent days in the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the late 1960s. Some of these gurus expanded beyond India, most famously Osho, who lived and preached in the United States in the early 1980s.

Almost all of them are credited by their followers with miraculous powers.

“I had gone to one of his early gatherings and told him I had chronic pain from a kidney stone for many months,” said Ramkumari, Baba’s former neighbour in Bahadurnagar village in India’s Uttar Pradesh state, where he was born and still has a home.

The village has only about 50 homes in all and is set amid fields which grow corn, wheat and rice. On the periphery is a sprawling, pearly-white ashram run by devotees of Baba.

“He smiled and blessed me with a pat on the back. The stone vanished soon after,” said Ramkumari, who gave just one name.

Another resident in the village, 55-year-old Surajmukhi, said Baba’s blessing helped her give birth to a son after seven daughters. Sons are sought after in many Indian families.

“We desperately wanted a boy,” said Surajmukhi. “Then I met Baba with my husband. He made me chant some mantras (verses), gave me some water to drink and patted me on my back. After nine months I had a baby boy.”

Lying on a cot next to her, Baba’s older sister Sonkali, thin and frail, said: “It was a miracle”.

Baba, formally known as Narayan Sakar Hari now, is estimated to be about 72 by his family and followers, who are spread across India’s heartland states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.

LINE TO GOD

Two neighbours who have known him since his childhood, including Ramkumari, said he took the path after a dream one night about 25 years ago that a divine spirit had given him supernatural powers. He quit the police in the city of Agra and started preaching, they said.

Baba would later claim he had a direct line to God and could channel divine blessings to people.

“Soon after we saw a line of cars bringing Suraj Pal into the village and people said he would henceforth be called a Baba (elder),” Ramkumari said.

Reuters could not contact Baba. He told Reuters partner ANI that he was grieving and his aides would help the injured and the families of those who died.

The stampede at his gathering on Tuesday killed 121 people, mostly women, and injured scores out of about 250,000 who had congregated in a canopied paddy field to listen to him, many trampling over one another as they ran after his car when he was leaving.

Police say authorities had allowed only 80,000 to attend, and have arrested six aides to Baba who were involved in organising the event. The main organiser surrendered to police on Friday.

Police said that in the initial days of his rise to fame, Baba had claimed that he could bring the dead back to life and even tried to take away the body of a 16-year-old girl from a crematorium promising a miracle to the family. Police intervened and the matter was closed soon after.

Posters and videos posted on YouTube show him dressed in traditional Indian kurta tunics or pristine white suits and ties, often sporting sunglasses, a departure from the spartan image of most godmen.

Still, his clout is smaller than other gurus and godmen in India, including Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Sadhguru. Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, known to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, runs the Patanjali consumer goods brand that has boomed in recent years.

Two godmen, Asaram Bapu and Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, were both convicted of rape in separate cases and jailed, after years of drawing thousands of devotees to their sermons and ashrams.

GIVE PEOPLE HOPE

Sociologists say such gurus are often believed to possess healing powers, and are especially popular among those who are poor, sick or feel underprivileged.

“People are insecure – economically, socially and otherwise,” said Dipti Ranjan Sahu, head of sociology at the University of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.

“Unemployment, deprivation, discrimination, ignorance, illiteracy – these things play a part. So they see hope in the godmen, maybe some miracle will happen.”

Surinder Singh Jodhka, who teaches social sciences at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University and has researched on the subject, said “people are kind of looking for some meaning in their life” and that’s where godmen come in.

“People are feeling lost and they are looking for some sense through which they can identify with other people, they feel less lonely,” he said. “This gives them hope and they are willing to believe in it.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hathras:

121 families have still been reeling under the impact of the stampede in Hathras on Tuesday where their loved ones died. But all of them have united in two demands – a swift probe, and action against Bhole Baba aka Suraj Pal Singh who organised the ‘satsang’ where the stampede occurred. After arresting several accused in the case, police have uncovered that Bhole Baba’s organisation had been getting funding from several political parties.

Hathras Superintendent of Police, Nipun Agarwal, today revealed that the main accused Devprakash Madhukar had recently been in contact with several political parties. This has prompted investigations into potential political conspiracies surrounding the incident. Madhukar was known to manage fundraising activities for events organized by the self-styled godman.

Mr Agarwal emphasized that financial transactions, money trails, and call records associated with Madhukar are currently under scrutiny. The police are also planning to seek his remand for further questioning.

An initial probe into the stampede had revealed that the godman had received permission to host an event for 80,000 people, but 2.5 lakh people were allowed to enter the venue. After the gathering, when the ‘godman’ was leaving, there was a rush among his followers to collect dust stirred up by his car’s tyres. According to officials, the godman’s private security guards started pushing his followers and some people fell and were trampled. In the chaos, many others fled towards the open field and slipped, and others ran over them. Many of those killed in the stampede were women and children.

According to eyewitnesses, only about 40 police personnel were on duty to ensure safety at this massive gathering and they were overwhelmed when the stampede broke out.

Madhukar was the ‘mukhya sevadar’ (chief of security) of the ‘satsang’ where the stampede occurred. He is the only accused named in the FIR lodged at Sikandra Rao police station in Hathras in connection with the incident, and Suraj Pal Singh hasn’t been named.

Initially, Madhukar’s lawyer, AP Singh, had asserted that his client had voluntarily surrendered to the Delhi police for medical treatment. However, Hathras police said they arrested Madhukar through technical surveillance, offering a reward of one lakh rupees for information leading to his arrest.

On Saturday afternoon, amidst tight security arrangements, Madhukar was brought to the Bagla Combined District Hospital in Hathras for a medical examination. He appeared with his face covered by a handkerchief and a stole wrapped around his head.

A three-member judicial commission team has arrived in Hathras to investigate administrative lapses that may have contributed to the tragedy. Statements from multiple officials have been recorded, and the team visited the site of the incident to gather further evidence.

Authorities plan to delve deeper into Madhukar’s association with Bhole Baba’s trust, scrutinizing funding sources and bank accounts. They intend to collaborate with other agencies to probe potential political links to the case. Should it be deemed necessary, a summons may also be issued to Bhole Baba for questioning.

“We are conducting a thorough investigation into Madhukar’s background and his role in the incident,” stated SP Nipun Agarwal.

“If any political is found to be associated with (Bhole Baba’s) organisation, we will take action against them,” he added.

Asked if the self-styled godman may be arrested, state police chief Prashant Kumar said, “Right now, everything is a matter of investigation. We do not want to influence the investigation by drawing any immediate conclusion. The ambit of the investigation is open. Action will be taken based on the facts that come to light during the investigation.”

Lucknow:

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP chief Mayawati on Saturday demanded strict action against Suraj Pal Singh, the self-styled godman who is worshipped by his followers as ‘Bhole Baba’, in the Hathras stampede tragedy that claimed 121 lives.

The BSP chief also advised the poor, Dalits, and the oppressed in the country not to get misled by the superstition and hypocrisy of “babas”.

“The poor, Dalits, and the oppressed in the country should not increase their pain and suffer by getting misled by the superstition and hypocrisy of many Babas like Bhole Baba of Hathras to get rid of their poverty and all other problems, this is the advice,” she posted on X.

“Rather, by following the path shown by Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, they will have to change their own destiny by taking power into their own hands, that is, they will have to join their own party BSP, only then they can avoid incidents like Hathras in which 121 people died, which is very worrying,” Mayawati added.

She further said that the government should not be lax in such situations and take strict action against the guilty.

“In the Hathras case, strict action should be taken against Baba Bhole and others who are guilty. Action should be taken against other such Babas as well. In this case, the government should not be lax in its political interests so that no more people have to lose their lives,” the BSF chief wrote on X.

Meanwhile, the self-styled godman broke his silence on Saturday in connection with the Hathras stampede in which 121 people, mostly women and children, died, stating that “those who created the chaos will not be spared.”

In a video statement, Suraj Pal – who also goes by the name Narayan Sakar Hari – expressed his grief and condoled the deaths at the tragedy that took place earlier this week during a ‘Satsang’ in Fulari village in Hathras district.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

After 121 people were killed in a deadly stampede at his ‘satsang’ in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras earlier this week, Bhole Baba, the former constable-turned-self-styled godman, has said that he was “deeply saddened” by the incident. 

“May God give us the strength to bear this pain. Please keep faith in the government and the administration. I have faith that anyone who created the chaos would 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,” said ‘Bhole Baba’ in a video statement. 

#WATCH | Hathras Stampede Accident | Mainpuri, UP: In a video statement, Surajpal also known as ‘Bhole Baba’ says, “… I am deeply saddened after 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… pic.twitter.com/7HSrK2WNEM

— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2024

The Stampede

The ‘satsang’ attracted as many as 2.5 lakh devotees. The stampede began when attendees “started collecting dust” from the ground where Bhole Baba’s car had passed. This chaotic scene led to men, women, and children falling over each other, resulting in several deaths. The gathering far exceeded the 80,000-person limit set by authorities, police said.

Bhole Baba, also known as Narayan Sakar Hari, had been elusive since the stampede. His lawyer, AP Singh, had said yesterday that he will cooperate with the investigation. “We have district-wise lists of the victims, and Narayan Sakar Hari’s trust would take care of the education, health, and wedding expenses of the families of those who died in the stampede,” Mr Singh said.

Main Accused Arrested

Devprakash Madhukar, the ‘mukhya sevadar’ of the ‘satsang’, has been arrested in Delhi, Hathras Police has said. With Madhukhar’s arrest, the total number of arrests in the case now stands at seven.

However, Mr Singh, who also represents Madhukar, has claimed that his client had surrendered, not arrested. “Today, we have surrendered Devprakash Madhukar, who was named the main organiser in the FIR in the Hathras case, after notifying the police, the SIT, and the STF in Delhi since he was undergoing treatment here,” Mr Singh stated in a video message. 

“We had promised we would not apply for anticipatory bail since we did no wrong. What is our crime? He is an engineer and a heart patient. Doctors said his condition is stable now, and so we surrendered today to join the probe,” Mr Singh added.

An FIR was registered against Madhukar by UP Police in Hathras, making him the prime accused in connection with the stampede. The police had even announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to his arrest. Six others, including two women volunteers who were part of the organising committee of the ‘satsang’, were arrested.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was briefed on the initial Special Investigation Team (SIT) report on the stampede. This confidential report, submitted by the Additional Director General (ADG) of Police, Agra Zone, Anupam Kulshrestha, contains testimonies from key officials, including Hathras District Magistrate Ashish Kumar and Superintendent of Police Nipun Aggarwal. The FIR was registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The three-member SIT has recorded statements from 90 individuals so far. The state government has also established a three-member judicial commission headed by a retired high court judge.

New Delhi:

Devprakash Madhukar, the main accused in the July 2 Hathras stampede which claimed 121 lives, has been taken into custody by Uttar Pradesh Police after he surrendered in Delhi, his lawyer claimed on Friday night.

Madhukar, the ‘mukhya sevadar’ of the ‘satsang’ where the stampede occurred, is the only accused named in the FIR lodged at Sikandra Rao police station in Hathras in connection with the incident.

In a video message, Madhukar’s lawyer A P Singh claimed that his client had surrendered in Delhi, where he was undergoing treatment.

“Today, we have surrendered Devprakash Madhukar, who was called the main organiser in the FIR in the Hathras case, after calling the police, the SIT and the STF in Delhi since he was undergoing treatment here,” Mr Singh said.

“We had promised we would not apply for anticipatory bail since we did no wrong. What is our crime? He is an engineer and a heart patient. Doctors said his condition is stable now and so we surrendered today to join the probe,” the lawyer said.

Mr Singh said police may now record his statement or question him but must take into consideration his health condition and ensure that “nothing wrong happens with him”.

Recently, the Supreme Court lawyer had claimed that he represents Surajpal alias Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba, the self-styled godman at whose ‘satsang’ the stampede occurred.

Uttar Pradesh Police had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to Madhukar’s arrest.

Till Thursday, six people, including two women volunteers who were members of the organising committee of Bhole Baba’s ‘satsang’, had been arrested in the case.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Former constable-turned-self-styled godman Bhole Baba whose ‘satsang’ (religious gathering) ended in a deadly stampede will show up “very soon”, said his lawyer, insisting that he would also assist the probe teams in their investigation. Bhole Baba aka Narayan Saakar Hari has not been seen in public since the crowd crush that killed 121 people in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras.

Baba’s lawyer claimed that the trust would take care of the needs of the families of those killed.

“We have district-wise lists of the victims and Narayan Saakar Hari’s trust would take care of the education, health and wedding expenses of the families of those who died in the stampede,” said lawyer AP Singh.

The stampede at the event that saw 2.5 lakh devotees in attendance began on Tuesday when “followers started to collect dust” from the ground where the preacher’s car had passed. Men, women and children fell over each other, getting crushed.

Explaining the reason behind the huge turnout, Mr Singh said, “Yes, there were too many people at the gathering because no ‘satsangs’ were held from February to June.

Authorities had only given permission for 80,000 people to attend the sermon, less than a third of the number that turned up.

Yesterday, Mr Singh said that his client was not to blame for the disaster and was not on the run. “There is no reason for him to hide. He has never hidden in his life,” Mr Singh said. “He believes in the law. He is following police directions.”

Six people had been arrested so far for their alleged role in the disaster, all of whom were members of the organising committee for the sermon. Baba, who cultivated a large following in Uttar Pradesh, has not been named in the First Information Report.

“They were mainly working as volunteers,” he told reporters on Thursday. “They were engaged in crowd management and collecting funds,” police said.

A Special Investigation Team probing the Hathras stampede has recorded statements of 90 people so far, SIT chief Anupam Kulshrestha said on Friday. “Definitely, the gathered evidence suggests culpability on the part of the event organisers,” she said.

The lawyer also gave an update on Devprakash Madhukar, a key accused in the case. “He was injured in the stampede. He is being treated in a hospital. As soon as he recovers, he will be produced before the SIT,” he said.