NEW DELHI: Hathras police have submitted a 3,200-page charge sheet related to the July 2 stampede at the Narayan Sakar Hari “Bhole Baba” congregation in Fulari village, which resulted in 121 deaths.
The police have charged 11 individuals, including the event organisers. However, Surajpal Singh, the self-proclaimed ‘godman’ also known as ‘Bhole Baba,’ was not named as an accused.According to defense lawyer AP Singh, the court will provide copies of the charge sheet to the accused on October 4.
“The SIT probing the case has filed the charge sheet. A separate judicial inquiry into the matter is ongoing,” Singh said.
On Tuesday, 10 of the accused appeared in court, including the main organiser, Dev Prakash Madhukar, who was transferred from Aligarh District Jail to Hathras District Court. Manju Yadav, another accused, is currently out on bail per the orders of the Allahabad High Court.
The stampede occurred during a satsang by Surajpal Singh in Fulrai village, claiming the lives of mostly women. Authorities attributed the incident to mismanagement, as the crowd size exceeded 2.5 lakh people, far surpassing the permitted 80,000.
An FIR was filed on July 2 under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, attempt to commit culpable homicide, wrongful restraint, disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant, and causing the disappearance of evidence.
Surajpal Singh’s lawyer also claimed that “some poisonous substance” sprayed by “unidentified men” triggered the stampede.
The Uttar Pradesh government formed a three-member judicial commission on July 3 to investigate the incident and any potential conspiracy.
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