Over two lakh people attended Bhole Baba's 'satsang', or 'prayer meet'.
Tough questions are being asked after 121 people were killed during a stampede at a 'religious' event in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras Tuesday evening, including which government body or official permitted such a large rally and why there were no crowd safety measures, such as designated entry and exit points.
Police have filed a case against a close aide of the 'godman' - Suraj Pal Singh, who ordained himself Narayan Saakar Hari, or Bhole Baba, - who headlined the 'prayer meet' and the event organisers.
The case does not mention Hari, who has, so far, evaded the cops.
State police chief Prashant Kumar was non-committal when asked if Hari will be arrested, telling reporters, "Action will be taken based on facts arising during the investigation."
No arrests have been made thus far, despite Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's assurances and Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagging the stampede mid-speech in Parliament.
The Chief Minister this evening said the event organisers had tied to "cover up the incident".
READ | "Organisers Tried To Cover Up Incident": Yogi On Hathras Stampede
The aide and organisers face charges that include culpable homicide not amounting to murder and wrongful restraint; the latter is applied in cases where the accused "voluntarily obstructs any person so as to prevent that person from proceeding in any direction which that person has a right to proceed..."
Apart from those killed, over two dozen are in hospital.
Hathras Stampede Tragedy Lapses
Organisers told police they expected a crowd of around 80,000.
The estimated attendance on the day, however, was over two lakh people.
READ | 2.5 Lakh Crowd, 'Dust Rush': What Led To Hathras Stampede
Police believe the organisers deliberately underplayed the number of people expected at the meeting, possibly to face fewer restrictions in hosting the event and circumvent additional crowd safety measures; in any case, it appears even those were not ensured.
This underlines one of the big questions being asked now - who gave permission for this public meeting. And, as an addendum, why were only 70 police personnel deployed?
Even if the police were planning based on expected crowd figures provided by the organisers - i.e., 80,000 - that works out to one cop per 1,150 attendees, an abysmal ratio.
READ | "Nothing Left": Man Who Lost Wife, Mother, Daughter In Stampede
It is possible that because there were so few police personnel the crowd could not be controlled after the meeting finished. Some rushed to the exit and others rushed to collect the mud Hari had walked on - causing a massive rush in what was a small built-up area.
"... the crowd, running in water and mud-filled fields behind the car, was stopped by the organising committee with sticks, due to which pressure of the crowd kept increasing and women, children, and men kept getting crushed," the police said in the filed complaint.
According to news agency IANS, this is not the first time a 'prayer meet' organised by Hari, or Bhole Baba, deceived cops about expected attendances; in May 2022, during the COVID pandemic, he sought permission for a rally for 50 in Farrukhabad district but entertained over 50,000.
READ | 'Godman' Held Satsang As Covid Cases Surged, 50,000+ Attended
The police have also said there were no ambulances or medical stations at the site, as mandated by law, and entry and exit points were not clearly marked.
Emergency exits and evacuation routes were either not made available or not clearly marked, which added to the chaos once the stampede broke.
Police have also accused the organisers of not helping manage pedestrian and vehicular traffic at the venue and, crucially, destroying or hiding evidence after the stampede.
In addition, there was no ventilation in the tents that housed Hari's followers.
A Shield For Bhole Baba?
The fact Bhole Baba has not been named in the police case has also raised questions.
READ | Case Against 'Satsang' Organisers, No Mention Of 'Bhole Baba'
Sources have told NDTV he is likely to be arrested soon; the police say he is hiding at his 'ashram' in UP's Mainpuri, which is about 100 km from the stampede site.
READ | Day After 121 Die In Stampede, Top Cops At Site, Ashram Of 'Godman'
A potentially worrying fact is the number of Hari's followers converging on his 'ashram'.
Bhole Baba addressing the 'prayer meet' in Hathras.
The conduct of his private security guards has also invited criticism, particularly since the police believe they stopped people trying to escape so the 'godman's' car could drive away.
Yogi, PM Respond, Opposition Attacks
The Chief Minister has ordered a high-level committee to inquire into the tragedy and offered money - Rs 2 lakh for the families of those killed and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
The Chief Minister is in Hathras today. "Our government will get to the bottom of this incident and give appropriate punishment to the conspirators and those responsible. The state is investigating... We will see if it is an accident or a conspiracy," Mr Adityanath said.
On Wednesday evening, hours after news of the stampede emerged, Mr Modi, who was in the middle of a fierce attack on the opposition in Parliament, broke off to inform the House.
READ | In Middle Of Lok Sabha Speech, PM Mourns Hathras Dead, Shouting MPs Silenced
"I express condolences to those who lost their lives... hope for speedy recovery of injured."
The opposition, meanwhile, has launched a fierce attack on the BJP, which is in power at the centre and in the state. Samajwadi Party boss Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of failing to safeguard the lives of UP citizens, and called for a "thorough probe" into the tragedy.
Who Is Bhole Baba?
Born in Bahadur Nagari village in UP's Etah district to a farmer - Nanne Lal - and Katori Devi, the self-styled guru's original name is Suraj Pal. He was a Head Constable for the state police force.
READ | 'Guru' Behind 'Satsang' Claimed He Worked For Intelligence Bureau
He left his job in 1999 and changed his name to Narayan Saakar Hari. Since then he has claimed he worked for the Intelligence Bureau after college, and turned towards spirituality during his time there.
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