Hathras Stampede: Bhole Baba's Lawyer Claims 15-16 People Sprayed Poison In 'Satsang', Says 'It Was All Planned'

The godman's lawyer also alleged a conspiracy behind the stampede, which he attributed to Bhole Baba's rising popularity.

After the tragic Hathras stampede claimed 121 lives, the lawyer of self-styled godman Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba, the 'satsang' preacher, alleged that the incident was "planned." A.P. Singh, Baba's lawyer, claimed  on Sunday that witnesses told him how some people had sprayed a poisonous substance  from cans in the crowd, which trigerred the stampede on July 2.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, the lawyer also alleged a conspiracy, which he attributed to Bhole Baba's rising popularity, behind the stampede, news agency PTI reported.

"Witnesses have reached out to me and said there were 15-16 people carrying cans of a poisonous substance that they opened in the crowd. I have seen post-mortem reports of those killed and it showed that they died of asphyxiation and not because of injuries," Singh claimed.

Alleging a conspiracy behind the tragic incident, the preacher's lawyer said: "There were vehicles parked at the site to help the men escape. We have proof and we will submit it. This is the first time I am speaking about it." 

Singh also claimed that the witnesses who reached out to him have requested anonymity, and added, "We will demand security for them."

After prime accused Devprakash Madhukar's arrest, nine people, including him have been arrested in connection with the Hathras stampede so far.

Police Suspects Involvement Of Political Party In Hathras Incident

Hathras police on Saturday warned of the strictest possible action against the guilty and also said that was investing the angle of the congregation's suspected funding by a political party. The police also said that the self-styled godman was recently contacted by political party.

"Based on the interrogation thus far, it appears that a political party might be involved with them for its own political and personal gains," Hathras Superintendent of Police (SP) Nipun Aggarwal said.

Madhukar was the main organiser and fundraiser of Bhole Baba's 'satsang' and had secured permission for conducting it. After his arrest, Madhukar was sent to a 14-day judicial custody.

121 people were killed, mostly women, after a stampede broke out after the religious event ended. More than 2.5 lakh people had gathered at the venue, which was way beyond the permitted limit of 80,000. 

However, the godman was not mentioned as an accused in the FIR, lodged at the local Sikandra Rao police station.

The Uttar Pradesh government formed a three-member judicial commission to probe the incident and to submit a report in two months. Responding to whether Bhole Baba would be questioned, a probe panel member told PTI that the commission is set up by the state government and will speak to anyone required for its inquiry. 

"The commission will also issue a public notice soon, asking locals and witnesses to share any evidence related to the stampede, along with their statements, another member and chairperson of the panel," retired Allahabad High Court judge and head of the judicial panel Brijesh Kumar Shrivastava, told PTI in Hathras.