Self-styled religious preacher Suraj Pal alias ‘Bhole Baba’ on Wednesday appeared in public for the first times since 121 people were killed in the Hathras stampede on July 2.
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“I am extremely sad after the incident of July 2, but who can stop what’s bound to happen? Whoever has come has to go one day or the other,” the godman told ANI.
Alleging conspiracy, Pal, who has not been named in the FIR, added,”Our advocate Dr AP Singh and eyewitnesses have told us about a poisonous spray. It is true that there is some conspiracy. We have faith in the SIT and judicial commission and that the truth will come out…Right now, I am in my birthplace Bahadur Nagar, Kasganj.”
The lawyer of Bhole Baba had claimed “some poisonous substance” sprayed by “some unidentified men” triggered the stampede.
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“Witnesses have reached out to me and said there were 15-16 people carrying cans of a poisonous substance that they opened in the crowd. I have seen post-mortem reports of those killed and it showed that they died of asphyxiation and not because of injuries,” the preacher’s lawyer AP Singh had alleged.
At least 11 people including the main organiser and fundraiser of the July 2 ‘satsang’ Devprakash Madhukar, have been arrested in connection with the stampede.
The Uttar Pradesh government’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) had held the ‘satsang’ organisers guilty for the stampede. The government suspended the local sub divisional magistrate (SDM), a circle officer and four others on the basis of the findings.
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According to the SIT, the ‘satsang’ organisers did not make proper arrangements to manage the crowd. They allegedly obtained permission by ‘hiding facts’.
The probe report also alleged that the SDM allegedly granted nod for the ‘satsang’ without inspecting the venue and even did not inform the senior officials. The organising committee allegedly misbehaved with the police.
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A separate judicial commission headed by retired Allahabad High Court judge Brijesh Kumar Shrivastava, and retired IPS Hemant Rao is also probing the Hathras stampede case.
