Clean Chit? UP Police File 3,200-Page Chargesheet In Hathras Stampede Case, Bhole Baba's Name Missing

The police have submitted a 3,200-page chargesheet in connection with the Hathras stampede that claimed 121 lives during a gathering organised by self-proclaimed 'godman' Surajpal Singh, also known as Bhole Baba, on July 2.

The chargesheet names 11 individuals, including two women, but does not list Bhole Baba as an accused, reported the Times of India.

AP Singh, the defense lawyer representing the accused, stated, "The trial will commence once the court takes cognisance of the chargesheet. The next hearing is scheduled for Oct 4."

On Tuesday, 10 of the accused, including the event's main organizer and fundraiser, Dev Prakash Madhukar, were transferred from Aligarh district jail to Hathras district court as part of the legal proceedings.

An FIR was filed on July 2 under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 223 (disobedience to a public servant's order), and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence). In September, the Allahabad High Court granted conditional interim bail to the two women accused, Manju Devi and Manju Yadav, while the other nine remain in custody.

Previously, a special investigation team (SIT) submitted a report on the incident, which led to the suspension of six officials, including Sikandra Rao deputy superintendent of police Anand Kumar, sub-divisional magistrate Ravindra Kumar, tehsildar Sushil Kumar, and sub-inspectors Manveer Singh and Brijesh Pandey, for "negligence and dereliction of duty." However, the SIT report did not question Bhole Baba's involvement.

Authorities have attributed the tragedy to the "mismanagement" by the event organisers, noting that the crowd exceeded 2.5 lakh people, far surpassing the permitted limit of 80,000. Bhole Baba's lawyer claimed that the stampede was caused by "some poisonous substance" sprayed by "unidentified men."

On July 3, the Uttar Pradesh government formed a three-member judicial commission, led by retired Allahabad High Court judge Brijesh Kumar Srivastav, to investigate the case and explore the possibility of a "conspiracy" behind the incident.

The commission has yet to complete its inquiry.