Uttar Pradesh Police conducted a search operation on Thursday at the Ram Kutir Charitable Trust, run by Suraj Pal, also known as “Bhole Baba,” the self-styled godman who held a satsang in Hathras on Tuesday where 123 people died in a stampede.

An FIR has been against the organisers of the prayer meeting, though Suraj Pal himself has not yet been formally implicated.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sunil Kumar said that Suraj Pal was not found inside the ashram located in the Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh. “There were 40-50 sevadars inside the ashram. He (Suraj Pal) was not there,” he said.

Police personnel were deployed around the ashram early this morning.

Yesterday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the site of the stampede and ordered a judicial probe into the incident. An official statement said that a three-member judicial inquiry commission chaired by Justice (retd) Brijesh Kumar Srivastava has been constituted to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation into the Hathras stampede. The commission will investigate various aspects of the incident over the next two months and submit a report to the state government thereafter.

According to media reports, devotees rushed to seek blessings and collect soil from around the preacher’s feet after the satsang but were restrained by the security personnel. This led to a chaotic situation, resulting in several people falling to the ground and getting crushed. Some people reportedly ran towards a nearby muddy field, causing further chaos and resulting in injuries as people were trampled.

(With ANI report)