After the Hathras stampede, Bhole Baba’s lawyer asserted on Wednesday that the incident was orchestrated by anti-social elements, countering the claim that it resulted from devotees rushing to touch the preacher’s feet. The tragedy, which claimed 121 lives, mostly women, occurred a day earlier.
According to a preliminary government report, the stampede erupted as followers surged towards Bhole Baba to obtain “charan raj,” the soil around his feet. However, lawyer AP Singh contended that the stampede was the result of a conspiracy by anti-social elements.
He stated, “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.”
Singh emphasized that Bhole Baba never allowed his followers to touch his feet, dismissing the mention of “charan raj” as false and unsupported by any visual evidence. Although Bhole Baba was not named as an accused in the FIR registered by the police, he was reportedly absent from his ashram in Mainpuri, where the incident occurred.
DSP Sunil Kumar of Mainpuri clarified, “He (‘Bhole Baba’) is not inside, neither he was yesterday nor he is today.” As per the initial report, devotees attempted to approach Bhole Baba for blessings and soil, but were stopped by his security personnel. This led to a commotion in which people fell to the ground and others rushed towards a muddy field, resulting in fatal injuries.
The police have filed an FIR against Devprakash Madhukar, known as ‘Mukhya Sewadar,’ under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He was identified as the main organizer of the religious event. Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel has constituted a three-member judicial commission, chaired by retired Allahabad High Court judge Brijesh Kumar Srivastava, to oversee an impartial investigation into the Hathras stampede. The commission aims to scrutinize all facets of the incident over the next two months to ensure transparency.