Hathras stampede: Bhole Baba's lawyer refutes 'charan raj' claim | 10 points

Bhole Baba's lawyer refuted the claim that the stampede broke out when devotees rushed to touch the feet of the preacher.

A day after the Hathras stampede, preacher Bhole Baba's lawyer claimed on Wednesday that the incident occurred because of a conspiracy hatched by anti-social elements. He also refuted the claim that the stampede broke out when devotees rushed to touch the feet of the preacher.

Suraj Pal aka Narayan Sakar alias Bhole Baba, a religious preacher. (HT_PRINT)

121 people, mostly women, were killed in the Hathras stampede on Tuesday.

Here are 10 points on the Hathras tragedy:

1. According to a preliminary government report, the stampede broke out when a large number of his followers rushed towards Baba Narayan Hari alias Saakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba to collect his “charan raj”, the soil around his feet.
2. However, his lawyer, AP Singh, said that the stampede took place because of a conspiracy hatched by some anti-social elements. "Some anti-social elements hatched a conspiracy. When Narayan Saakar Hari left the venue, his vehicles left, and our volunteers and followers failed to understand what was happening due to the conspiracy. This was done as per a plan and should be investigated," he claimed.
3. He said his client would cooperate with the state administration and the police.
4. The preliminary report was made by a sub-divisional magistrate. The lawyer, refuting the report, claimed Bhole Baba never let anyone touch his feet. "Narayan Saakar Hari never lets followers touch his feet. The mention of the 'charan raj' is also false. There is no video or picture of such an act," he added.
5. The police have not named Bhole Baba as an accused in the FIR registered over the incident.
6. The police said Bhole Baba wasn't present in his sprawling ashram in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri. "There are 40-50 sevadars inside the ashram. He ('Bhole Baba') is not inside, neither he was yesterday nor he is today," said Mainpuri DSP Sunil Kumar.
7. Per the preliminary report, the devotees rushed to seek the blessings and collect soil from around the preacher's feet, but were stopped by the security personnel of 'Bhole Baba'. Later, they started pushing one another due to which several people fell to the ground, leading to chaos.
8. Some people ran towards the adjoining field filled with mud, due to which they fell and were crushed by other devotees, the report added.
9. The police have filed an FIR against Devprakash Madhukar, referred to as 'Mukhya Sewadar', under Sections 105, 110, 126(2), 223, and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He is the main organiser of the religious event.
10. Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel has formed a three-member judicial commission to ensure transparency in the probe into the Hathras stampede. The three-member panel, which will be headed by retired Allahabad high court judge Brijesh Kumar Srivastava, will also investigate the various aspects of the Hathras stampede over the next two months.