Indian Preacher Denies Responsibility for Fatal Crowd Crush Incident

The self-styled guru Bhole Baba, who led an overcrowded gathering in Hathras district, India, where more than 120 people were crushed to death, has denied any responsibility for the incident. Through his lawyer, AP Singh, Bhole Baba pledged full cooperation with the police investigation, insisting that the tragedy was the result of "anti-social elements" and a "criminal conspiracy" against him.

Bhole Baba, whose real name is Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari, was conducting a satsang, a Hindu religious festival, when the disaster struck. Most of the victims were women and children. The chaos reportedly began as the preacher was leaving the event, causing a rush of attendees trying to get his blessing. Eyewitnesses, including local resident Yogesh Yadav, described scenes of people losing their footing and falling on top of each other, with some getting trapped in adjacent drains.

The initial police report indicated that the event was authorized for 80,000 attendees, but around 250,000 people showed up. The report also mentioned that some of the crowd, attempting to cross to a muddy field, were forcibly stopped by the event organizers, exacerbating the crush.

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In response to the incident, six people from the organizing committee have been arrested. The tragedy has sparked outrage across India, raising serious questions about the lack of adequate security measures at the event. Mr. Singh refuted claims that security staff triggered the panic by pushing away people trying to approach Bhole Baba, labeling these allegations as "totally false" and asserting that the security team was there to assist the followers.

Bhole Baba, formerly known as Suraj Pal, has a controversial background, having been a police constable who was suspended following a criminal case. Although he was later reinstated, he left the force in 2002. He has since amassed a large following in Hathras and neighboring districts and operates an ashram in Mainpuri.

The horrific aftermath of the crush has been widely shared online, showing people rushing the injured to hospitals in any available vehicles, including pick-up trucks, tuk-tuks, and motorbikes. The incident is one of the worst crowd crushes in India in recent years, highlighting the urgent need for better crowd management and safety protocols at large public gatherings.

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