India preacher denies blame for crush deaths

The preacher who led an overcrowded gathering successful India wherever much than 120 radical were crushed to decease connected Tuesday has denied blame, and pledged to co-operate with the constabulary investigation.

A lawyer for the self-styled guru known arsenic Bhole Baba told the BBC the crush occurred "due to immoderate anti-social elements", and blamed a "criminal conspiracy hatched against" his client.

Bhole Baba - whose existent sanction is Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari - volition afloat co-operate with the investigation, his lawyer AP Singh said.

Nearly each those killed were women and children, who were attending the satsang - a Hindu spiritual festival - successful Hathras district.

It has sparked outrage successful India and questions astir a deficiency of information measures.

Mr Singh besides denied reports that information guards astatine the festival triggered panic by pushing distant radical who tried to get Bhole Baba's blessing.

“Totally mendacious allegation," Mr Singh told the BBC. "Security unit ever supply assistance to the followers.”

This is 1 of the worst crushes to hap successful India for years.

Shocking images from the aftermath of the catastrophe person circulated online, of radical driving the wounded to infirmary successful pick-up trucks, tuk tuks and adjacent connected motorbikes.

The crush took spot successful Pulrai village, wherever Bhole Baba was holding a spiritual gathering.

An archetypal constabulary study said that officials had fixed support for 80,000 radical to gather, but immoderate 250,000 radical turned up to the event.

The study says the chaos began arsenic the preacher drove off. Eyewitnesses said radical mislaid their footing and started falling connected apical of each different arsenic hundreds rushed towards the preacher arsenic helium was leaving the venue.

As radical ran aft his vehicle, survivors said a fig of those sitting and squatting connected the crushed got crushed.

One of the archetypal connected the scene, section nonmigratory Yogesh Yadav, told the BBC that hundreds of women ran aft Bhole Baba's car arsenic helium was leaving.

“Some crossed the road to get a amended glimpse of his car. In the melee, galore women fell successful the drain adjacent to the highway. People started falling connected apical of each other,” Mr Yadav said.

The constabulary papers added that immoderate radical tried to transverse the roadworthy to a spot of mud-soaked fields, but were forcibly stopped by the organisers and were crushed.

Bhole Baba was primitively named Suraj Pal, but helium reportedly re-christened himself arsenic Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari.

One elder constabulary serviceman successful Uttar Pradesh told BBC Hindi that the preacher had been a constabulary constable, but was suspended from work aft a transgression lawsuit was lodged against him.

He was reinstated successful the unit aft a tribunal cleared him but near his occupation successful 2002, the elder serviceman said.

The preacher has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers successful Hathras and neighbouring districts.

Bhole Baba is known to person an ashram successful Mainpuri, astir 100km (62 miles) from Pulrai village.

His lawyer told the BBC his lawsuit is present astatine his ashram. The preacher has not been named successful the archetypal constabulary complaint.