Hathras stampede case: Accused claim conspiracy, next hearing on June 13

A court in Hathras district on Wednesday briefly heard arguments in connection with the July 2024 stampede during a satsang of preacher Surajpal that claimed 121 lives and scheduled the next hearing for June 13.

During the day's proceedings, Supreme Court lawyer AP Singh appeared on behalf of the accused event organisers and told the court that the incident was a "conspiracy" and that they would expose the truth through a petition.

The incident had taken place on July 2 during the satsang of Surajpal alias Bhole Baba alias Narayan Sakar Hari in Bulgarhi village in the Sikandra Rao tehsil.

"What happened on July 2 was not an accident but a planned conspiracy. We will file a petition naming those responsible for triggering the chaos and spraying toxic substances that led to the deaths," Singh said.

"All 11 accused in the case are currently out on bail," Singh told PTI.

"Except for Sanju Yadav, all were present in court today. Arguments are currently ongoing on the framing of charges," he added.

According to Singh, there is evidence and facts supporting the claim that outsiders orchestrated the stampede for political gains after seeing the large gathering.

"Those behind the conspiracy were not part of the satsang. They aimed to tarnish the image of Bhole Baba and benefit politically from the tragedy," he claimed.

Singh said the court has set June 13 as next date for hearing in the case.

Meanwhile, Dev Prakash Madhukar, the main organiser of the event who was recently released on bail, reiterated that the incident was a deliberate attempt to malign Bhole Baba.

"We were working to promote humanity, unity, and brotherhood. The administration has falsely implicated us with baseless allegations," he told reporters outside the court.