Self-styled godman Surajpal also known as 'Bhole Baba' appeared before the judicial commission in Lucknow investigating the July 2 stampede at his congregation in Hathras which led to the death of 121 people, most of them women and children.
Self-styled godman Bhole Baba's lawyer A P Singh alleged on Sunday that witnesses told him some people opened cans containing a poisonous substance in the crowd during the July 2 Hathras 'satsang', triggering the stampede.
Self-styled godman Bhole Baba said Wednesday that he is very disturbed by the Hathras stampede but nobody can avoid what is destined and everyone has to die one day.
One of Surajpal's three brothers died and he set up a Trust and appointed a caretaker for his property in Bahadurgarh where his ashram is located, the CO said.
A total of 121 people, mostly women, died in the stampede after a satsang of Surajpal alias Bhole Baba alias Narayan Sakar Hari on July 2 in Fulrai village in Hathras' Sikandra Rao area.
'No one has been given a clean chit. The investigation is on and government agencies are searching for the main accused who is absconding'
The self-styled godman, who is called Baba Narayan Hari and Saakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba, is not named in the list of the accused in the FIR filed in the incident though his name is in the complaint.
The Hathras SP said the investigation also revealed that some political parties had contacted him some time back.
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.
The victims were part of the crowd of thousands that had gathered near Phulrai village in the Sikandrarau area for the 'satsang' by religious preacher Bhole Baba.
With TDP and YSRCP trying to score political points, the sacred laddu may well create a storm in days to come.
The CBI has requested the Andhra Pradesh government to take action against senior TTD officers for alleged deliberate omissions and failures in tender conditions, leading to the supply of adulterated ghee used in Tirupati laddu production.
The judicial commission set up by the Uttar Pradesh government will speak to anyone required for its inquiry into the July 2 Hathras stampede, a probe panel member said on Sunday when asked if self-styled godman Bhole Baba will also be questioned.
Those arrested have been identified as Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain, former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy, Apoorva Chawda from Vaishnavi Dairy and Raju Rajasekharan from AR Dairy, they said.
The police entered the ashram premises of religious preacher Jagat Guru Saakar Vishwahari Bhole Baba in Mainpuri, UP, and later said he was not present there. A police official said they had gone there to check security arrangements.
The Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday said they have arrested six sevadars (volunteers), including two women, of the organising committee in connection with the Hathras stampede that killed 121 people.
Chaos caused after Narayan Sakaar Hari's followers were pushed by the godman's security and a 'slippery slope' resulted in the stampede that killed 121 people in Hathras on Tuesday, a preliminary report by the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) said.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that a date of hearing has been accorded to a PIL seeking probe into the Hathras stampede that left 121 dead.
Here is a list of some of such major tragedies that have taken place in the country in recent years.
The recent stampede at New Delhi Railway station, which claimed the lives of at least 18 people, highlights a recurring issue in India: deadly stampedes. This tragedy is not an isolated incident, as numerous stampedes resulting in significant casualties have occurred over the years. This article explores some of the most devastating stampedes in India, including the deadly event at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj just a few weeks ago, the 2024 tragedy at a 'satsang' in Hathras, and the 2013 stampede during Navratri festivities in Madhya Pradesh.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday suspended the local SDM, a circle officer and four others based on the SIT report on the Hathras stampede that did not rule out a "big conspiracy" behind the incident.
The stampede took place as people headed home after a satsang in the district's Phulrai village, conducted by a preacher known as Bhole Baba. Twenty-seven bodies were brought to a hospital in neighbouring Etah district. Senior Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kumar Singh said 23 of them were women. And 89 lay dead in Hathras itself.
This is not the first time that a large number of people have died in stampedes at temples and other religious gatherings over the years in India.
The organisers tried to hide the actual number of people coming to the event by concealing evidence and throwing slippers and other belongings of the devotees in nearby fields, the FIR alleged.
The victims mostly women suffocated to their deaths and bodies piled atop each other in the worst such incident in recent years.
In a video message, Madhukar's lawyer AP Singh claimed that his client had surrendered in Delhi, where he was undergoing treatment.
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a probe into the Hathras stampede that left 121 dead, and asked the petitioner to move the Allahabad high court.
The Royal Challenger's Bengaluru parade in celebration of the team's maiden Indian Premiere League win in 18 years turned into tragedy as at least 11 fans died and several were injured in a stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.
He said retired administration and police officials will also be part of the judicial inquiry to probe the stampede.
Tahul assured that he would raise the stampede issue in Parliament in a bid to prevent such incidents in the future, they said.
A number of bodies were kept at the district hospital in Hathras.
A total of 121 people, mostly women, died in the stampede at self-styled godman Baba Bhole's satsang in Hathras on Tuesday.
"We never thought that such an incident would take place," father of a three-year-old boy, who died in the stampede at a religious congregation in Hathras, said on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a roadshow in Vadnagar, his birthplace, in Mehsana district as he arrived on the second day of his visit to Gujarat
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