People sprayed poison during Hathras event leading to stampede, claims advocate AP Singh

NEW DELHI: Days after 121 people were killed due to a stampede at a religious gathering in Hathras, advocate A P  Singh has claimed that the incident that took the lives of 121 people, mostly women and children occurred because unidentified men sprayed poison during the event.

Singh claimed that the group of conspirators fled the venue after causing the stampede. “Unidentified men were carrying poisonous sprays…They ran while spraying the poisonous spray and it looked as a part of a pre-planned conspiracy…Many people lost their consciousness…I urge the Special Investigation Team to investigate who all are behind this incident”, advocate A P Singh claimed.

At least 121 devotees lost their lives in a stampede at a religious ‘Satsang’ event of self-styled godman Suraj Pal, alias ‘Bhole Baba’, in Fulari village of Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras, on July 2. Meanwhile, Devprakash Madhukar, the main accused in the Hathras stampede incident, was sent to 14 days of judicial custody after being produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court last Saturday.

The court inquired if he had written permission for the event and from whom it was obtained. Madhukar replied that he received permission from the SDM for a gathering of 80,000 people. When asked if the event was publicised, Madhukar denied doing so.

Notably, Devprakash Madhukar had been absconding, and a reward of Rs 1 lakh was announced for information leading to his arrest. He was finally apprehended on July 5 in the national capital. Additionally, two other accused, Ramprakash Shakya and Sanju Yadav, were also arrested, according to the police.

Last Saturday, self-styled godman Suraj Pal Singh, or ‘Bhole Baba’, broke his silence 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.”

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.

“I am deeply saddened by 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 those who created the chaos will 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”, he said.

The stampede occurred during the ‘Satsang’ of self-styled godman Suraj Pal Singh, known as ‘Bhole Baba’, in Fulari village, Hathras. (ANI)