Bhole Baba, incognito since Hathras stampede, finally breaks silence on July 2 incident

Updated on July 6, 2024 at 08:40 IST

‘Bhole Baba’, also known as Surajpal, released a video statement expressing his grief and offering condolences to the families of the over 120 victims who tragically lost their lives in the Hathras stampede. Devprakash Madhukar, identified as the main ‘sevadar’, surrendered to the police in Delhi.

“Bhole Baba”, alias Narayan Saakar Hari, is the preacher in whose congregation the stampede took place on July 2.

New Delhi: In a video statement, Surajpal, also known as “Bhole Baba“, expressed grief over the July 2 incident in which more than 120 people were killed following a stampede during the ‘Satsang’ event in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. Surajpal offered his condolences to the families of the victims and urged the community to remain resilient during this difficult time.

“I am deeply saddened by the incident of July 2. May God give us the strength to bear this pain,” Bhole Baba said in his message to the bereaved families.

“Please keep faith in the government and the administration. I am confident that whoever has created chaos will not be spared… Through my lawyer AP Singh, I have asked the committee members to stand by the bereaved families and the injured and help them throughout their lives…” he added.

What Bhole Baba said about The Rush to Hathras

‘Bhole Baba’ alias Narayan Saakar Hari is the preacher in whose congregation the stampede took place on July 2. The ‘godman’ had earlier claimed that the stampede took place after he left the premises. It is to be noted that Bhole Baba’s name does not figure in the FIR registered in this case. The FIR was registered against the ‘sevadars’ of the incident.

On Friday evening, Devprakash Madhukar, the main accused in the Hathras stampede, surrendered to the Uttar Pradesh police.

Madhukar, the head of the ‘sevadar’ of the ‘satsang’ where the tragedy took place, is named as the sole accused in the FIR lodged at the Sikandra Rao police station. His lawyer AP Singh confirmed that Madhukar had gone to Delhi, where he was undergoing medical treatment.

“Today, we handed over Devprakash Madhukar, who was branded as the main organiser of the FIR in the Hathras case, after he called the police, SIT and STF to Delhi while he was undergoing treatment here,” Singh said.

“We had promised not to seek anticipatory bail as we had not committed any offence. What is our crime? He is an engineer and is suffering from a heart problem. Doctors said his condition is stable now and so we have surrendered today to join the investigation,” the lawyer told PTI.

Singh said police can now record his statement or question him, but they must take into consideration his health condition and ensure that “nothing bad happens to him”.

“We did not do anything like posting anticipatory bail or approaching the court, which would have been seen as an effort to save ourselves and get scared… questions were raised about his (Madhukar’s) whereabouts and whether he had absconded,” he said.

Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday arrested six individuals in connection with the Hathras stampede, where 121 people tragically lost their lives during a religious event on Tuesday.