People stand near a poster of preacher Bhole Baba who led a prayer meeting on July 2 that ended with the deaths of 121 people during a stampede.
Bhole Baba’s lawyer, Mr A.P. Singh, said his client was not to blame for the July 2 disaster and was not on the run. A police charge sheet issued after the stampede named several organisers of the prayer meeting sought for arrest, but Bhole Baba’s name was not among them. India is home to innumerable religious gurus or “godmen”, whose devotees beseech them for miracles and donate money and possessions as a token of loyalty.
One of Bhole Baba’s devoted followers, standing outside the locked monastery’s gates to show his support, said blame for the stampede lay squarely at the feet of the preacher’s audience.