Self-styled godman Surajpal alias Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba, who recently held a satsang in Hathras where several devotees were killed after a stampede, on Wednesday told IANS, "Honi ko kaun taal sakta hai, Jo aaya hai, use ek din Jana hi hai (Who can avert destiny. All those who are born have to die).''
A total of 121 devotees were killed after the stampede at the 'satsang' site of the godman on July 2. Over 2.5 lakh devotees had gathered in Hathras district's Phulrai village for the religious congregation.
An FIR was registered by the Uttar Pradesh police against the organisers, accusing them of hiding evidence and flouting conditions with 2.5 lakh people gathering for the event in which only 80,000 were permitted.
The godman was not mentioned as accused in the FIR lodged at Sikandrarau police station.
On Wednesday, the preacher 'Bhole Baba' reached his ashram at Bahadur Nagar village in Kasganj. "He has reached his ashram and will stay here. He came here from his another ashram. He was never at anyone's place or any hotel or another country," Bhole Baba's lawyer A P Singh told PTI.
The Uttar Pradesh government has constituted an SIT and a judicial commission to probe into the incident.
In its report submitted to the state government on July 9, the SIT did not rule out a "big conspiracy" behind the stampede. The report also flagged lapses on the part of the local administration that led to the stampede.
The lawyer of Bhole Baba, meanwhile, on July 6 claimed "some poisonous substance" sprayed by "some unidentified men" triggered the stampede.
(With agencies inputs)
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