HATHRAS: In his first detailed response to the
Hathras stampede
,
Surajpal Singh
, popular as
Bhole Baba
, expressed “profound sorrow” and assured the guilty would be punished. He also promised support for the victims and their families. A crush at the end of his sermon had led to the deaths of 121 people in a Hathras village on Tuesday.
In a video message, Bhole Baba urged victims to stay strong and have faith in the administration, promising those responsible would be punished.
“The incident has left me distraught.
Mischief-makers
and
anti-social elements
responsible for the stampede will not be spared.
Narayan Sakar Hari
ki sampurn brahmand me sada sada kay liye jaijaikar ho (May the praise of Narayan Sakar Hari resound forever throughout the universe),” he said.
Bhole Baba, dressed in his trademark white shirt, instructed his committee to assist those injured in the stampede. “Through my lawyer AP Singh, I have requested committee members to stand with the bereaved families and the injured and help them throughout their lives,” he said, reading from a prepared statement. “May God give us the strength to bear this pain.”
Advocate Singh confirmed cooperation with the investigation. “We have district-wise lists of the victims, and Narayan Sakar Hari’s trust will take care of the education, health, and wedding expenses of the families of those who died in the stampede,” he said.
Following the stampede, Bhole Baba was believed to have shut himself up in Mainpuri, locked inside one of his 24 lavish ashrams. Police presence around the ashram is significant, with officials remaining tight-lipped.
Police had said on Friday that “inter-state searches have been launched to apprehend Bhole Baba”. Shalabh Mathur, IG (Aligarh), had said, “Along with the main accused, we are also looking for Bhole Baba. Raids are being conducted across Uttar Pradesh and adjoining states such as Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.”
Late Friday night, Bhole Baba’s aide and main accused in the case, Devprakash Madhukar, had “surrendered” himself before police.
Mathur said on Saturday that investigation is ongoing, and anyone found involved will be interrogated, and appropriate action will be taken. “For now, Bhole Baba has not been named in the FIR because permission for the satsang was not sought in his name”.
Earlier, in the initial days following the stampede, police had said that the preacher was “nowhere to be found” and that his mobile phones had been switched off.
The police report also noted around 2.5 lakh people attended the event despite only 80,000 being permitted.
English (US) ·