Lucknow: The lawyer of under-fire godman Suraj Pal, alias Narayan Sakar Hari or Bhole Baba, has made a sensational claim.
He claimed on Sunday that the stampede which killed 121 people at the satsang of Bhole Baba was a conspiracy, and not an accident.
AP Singh, the self-styled godman’s lawyer, told mediapersons that around 15 people, who had their faces covered, were present at the July 2 spiritual event where the stampede broke out.
“Witnesses have reached out to me and said there were 15-16 people carrying cans of a poisonous substance that they opened in the crowd. I have seen post-mortem reports of those killed and it showed that they died of asphyxiation and not because of injuries,” Singh said.
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He alleged that the tragedy was the result of a conspiracy as there were vehicles parked at the site to help those men escape.
“We have proof and we will submit it. This is the first time I am speaking about it,” the lawyer said.
“This is not an accident… It’s murder,” Singh claimed, urging police to study CCTV footage which would be pivotal in nabbing the culprits.
Uttar Pradesh Police have thus far arrested nine people, including two women and three senior citizens.
A number of sevadars (volunteers) of the satsang have been mentioned as accused, including main organiser Dev Prakash Madhukar.
