Less than 24 hours later, preacher Bhole Baba, at whose ‘satsang’ the stampede took place, issued his first statement saying he is “extremely pained” by the deadly incident on July 2, which claimed 121 lives

Self-proclaimed godman Surajpal Singh ‘Bhole Baba’ from his Mainpuri ashram urged support for the bereaved families and injured, vowing those responsible for the chaos would not escape justice. Police presence intensified outside the ashram, with officials silent on his whereabouts. Singh, through his lawyer AP Singh, appealed for solidarity and assistance for the affected, following the tragic incident on July 2. He is currently in his Mainpuri ashram where a large number of police has been deployed.

Chennai police arrested eight suspects on Friday for the murder of state BSP president K Armstrong, a retaliation for gangster Arcot Suresh’s killing. Identified as Ponnai Bala, Ramu, Thiruvengadam, Thirumalai, Selvaraj, Manivannan, Santhosh, and Arul, they were tracked via mobile towers and CCTV. All belong to the Kuravar community and will be produced in court on Saturday.