The lawyer representing Surajpal Singh alias Bhole Baba, whose event in Hathras resulted in the death of 121 people during a stampede, has claimed that the tragedy was a result of a "conspiracy" involving the spreading of poisonous substances in the crowd.
Advocate A P Singh, speaking at a media briefing in Delhi, alleged that "more than a dozen individuals were seen throwing poisonous substances at the crowd," which caused panic and led to deaths by asphyxiation rather than injuries.
Singh stated that eyewitnesses anonymously reported seeing 15-16 individuals with cans of poisonous substances, which they opened among the crowd.
"The post-mortem reports I have reviewed indicate that the victims died of asphyxiation," Singh said, asserting that this supports the theory of poisoning rather than trampling injuries.
He described the incident as a "conspiracy against Bhole Baba" and claimed that the miscreants, dressed in half-pants and scarves, were seen spraying the poisonous substance before fleeing the scene.
Singh also urged the police to seize CCTV footage from toll booths to identify the car registration numbers of the alleged miscreants.
He shared several documents showing the permissions granted by the Hathras administration for the event.
The incident occurred last Tuesday at an event organised by Bhole Baba, where more than 2.5 lakh people had gathered, far exceeding the permitted limit of 80,000.
The chief organiser, Devprakash Madhukar, and eight others have been arrested in connection with the stampede. Madhukar is identified as both the organiser and the fundraiser for the event.
Despite the severity of the incident, Bhole Baba has not been named as an accused in the FIR lodged at the Sikandra Rau police station.
Hathras police are also investigating the suspected funding of the congregation by a political party, warning of "strictest possible action" against those responsible.
Singh added, "I met some women in the hospital who described seeing unidentified men running through the crowd, spreading the spray. People fell to the ground and were trampled. It was a pre-planned mass murder aimed at maligning Baba, whose popularity is rising."
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