'Have Faith Miscreants Will Not Be Spared: 'Bhole Baba's First Video Message After Hathras Stampede

New Delhi: Four days after the Hathras stampede horror unfolded claiming 121 lives, including of women and children, self-proclaimed preacher Surajpal Singh alias 'Bhole Baba' broke his silence over the tragedy on Saturady.

The godman, in a video statement, said that he was "deeply saddened after the July 2 incident." He urged people to have faith in the administration. In his first statement after the tragedy, he assured strict actions against the perpetrators.

Surajpal said,“…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...”

He also asked his supporters to stand by the bereaved families in this tough time. He added, "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..."

'Mukhya Sewadar' Arrested

The horrific stampede incident occurred during a religious congregation in Ratibhanpur village in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh July 2 which proved fatal for 121 people and left several people injured. Meanwhile, police arrested Devprakash Madhukar, the key accused and close aide 'Bhole Baba’s on Friday. Apart from Madhukar, other organisers of the religious event were also named in the FIR. 

SOG Submits Probe Report

The SOG on Friday submitted a detailed probe report to the Uttar Pradesh government in connection with stampede horror. The officials recorded statements of over 100 people, including that of DM and SSP. The main motive of the report was to reveal the main reason and the negligence that led to the stampede.

Lapses in Hathras Stampede

Several glaring lapses have come to fore that led to the tragedy. Republic has learnt that many things which are necessary to a religious event were missing which aggravated the tragedy. The glaring lapses indicate that there was gross negligence in both taking and giving permission. Overcrowding was one of the reasons which led to the stampede incident, as per the FIR. The FIR stated that, the application submitted by the event organisers seeking permission for the 'satsang' had mentioned the number of attendees at 80,000, but the actual number was much higher. Sources revealed that as per a report, nearly 2.5 lakh people turned up at the event.

Hathras Stampede FIR: 5 Points

The FIR in the tragedy mentioned that the permission was sought for only 80,000 but over 2.5 lakh people congregated at the venue.
The FIR added that situation went out of control when people tried to collect soil from the path of convoy of Surajpal aka 'Bhole Baba'.
It also states that no help was given by the organisers and sewadars of the Satsang when the tragedy unfolded.
The FIR revealed traffic violations by the event organisers at the venue.
The FIR added that organisers tried to covered up the stampede by hiding and throwing the belongings (such as left over slippers) of the scores of people in the nearby field.

What Led to Hathras Stampede? 

As the event concluded, a stampede broke out, resulting in injuries to several people, including women and children. An eyewitness to the incident Jyoti said, “Suddenly there was pushing and shoving as there were more people than space allowed. The incident happened after the Satsang ended, when everyone tried to leave at once.” People had come to the gathering not only from Uttar Pradesh but also from other states. The accident happened while people were trying to collect the soil from Baba's feet as they were leaving. The place of the accident was muddy.