Hathras stampede: Bhole Baba gets clean chit, SIT blames organisers

Lucknow: Six days after 121 devotees were trampled to death in a stampede at a ‘satsang’ (religious congregation) in Hathras, the special investigation team (SIT), formed to investigate the incident, on Tuesday submitted its report to the government blaming the organisers for the tragedy though it also did not rule out a conspiracy.

The report did not find any fault with Sakar Hari Bhole Baba in whose 'satsang' thousands of devotees had participated though it said that the stampede was caused when the devotees rushed to touch the feet of the Baba while he was leaving the venue after delivering the sermons.

The 850-page report said that the organisers did not disclose the number of devotees expected to take part in the event while applying for permission.

''The conditions mentioned in the permission letter were not followed by the organisers.....a large number of devotees were invited and proper arrangements were not made by them,'' the report said.

It also said that the organisers did not allow the police to enter the venue.

''There was no barricading at the venue nor was there passage...the organisers fled the venue after the incident,'' the report added.

The report also said that the local administration did not take the event seriously and failed to anticipate the number of devotees likely to attend the 'satsang'.

''The local officials granted permission for the event without visiting the site where it was to be held,'' it added.

The report did not rule out the possibility of a 'conspiracy' behind the incident and stressed the need for a thorough investigation. Interestingly, the report nowhere mentioned Bhole Baba though it did blame the organisers.

The self-styled godman Suraj Pal alias Sakar Hari Bhole Baba had a couple of days back released a video statement saying that he was deeply ‘saddened’ by the deaths and urged his followers to stand with the families of the victims.

‘’I am saddened by the deaths….I pray to God to give us strength to come out of this grief,’’ the Baba had said. Bhole Baba's name also does not figure in the FIR registered by the police in this regard. The Baba, whose whereabouts were not known after the incident on Tuesday.

Baba's lawyer A.P.Singh had also rejected allegations that the stampede was caused after the devotees rushed to touch the feet of the Baba saying that the Bhole Baba never allowed anyone to touch his feet.

He had also claimed that some miscreants had sprayed some poisonous matter during the 'satsang' causing the stampede.

The SIT recorded the statements of 128 eyewitnesses and others to arrive at a conclusion, sources said. The report has not yet been made public.

Sources said that the SIT report would be handed over to the judicial commission formed to investigate the incident. The judicial commission comprising a retired High Court judge and others would submit its report within two months.

The police had on Friday night arrested the main accused Dev Prakash Madhukar, who was the chief organizer of the event, from Najafgarh in Delhi. The police had so far arrested 11 people in connection with the incident.