Self-styled godman Suraj Pal Singh or “Bhole Baba” 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.”
‘Bhole Baba’ told ANI, “… 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 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…”
In a video message, Madhukar’s lawyer AP Singh claimed that his client had surrendered in Delhi, where he was undergoing treatment.
“Today, we have surrendered Dev Prakash Madhukar, who has been 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,” AP 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,” he added.
On Friday, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, visited Hathras and met with the families of the stampede victims. He said the families told him that there were not enough police arrangements for the religious event, which caused the stampede.
On Thursday, the Hathras police arrested six people from the satsang’s organising committee, including two women volunteers. These arrests happened a day after chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited Hathras.
Police said no one was cleared yet and everyone mentioned during the investigation, including Bhole Baba, will be questioned if needed.
According to the police FIR, approximately 250,000 people gathered at the event despite permission being granted for only 80,000 attendees. Meanwhile, the main accused, identified as Devprakash Madhukar, surrendered before the Special Investigation Team (SIT), Special Task Force (STF), and Uttar Pradesh police, as confirmed by his advocate AP Singh in a video statement released on Friday.
“Six, including two women sevadars (volunteers) from the organising committee, have been arrested and a search is on for the main accused in (connection with the) FIR lodged. The incharge of the Samagam (satsang) Dev Prakash Madhukar (Engineer), in whose name permission was sought for the satsang, is absconding after being named in FIR by Hathras police. A reward of ₹1 lakh has been declared on his arrest and NBW (non-bailable warrant) issued. Teams are searching for him,” inspector general of police, Aligarh range, Shalabh Mathur said.
