Hathras: The main accused in the Hathras incident, Dev Prakash Madhukar, surrendered to the police Friday night and was subsequently arrested. Madhukar was the chief organiser of the event that ended in a stampede, resulting in over 120 fatalities.
Hathras Superintendent of Police (SP) Nipun Agarwal told ThePrint that Madhukar, who had been on the run since the incident, was arrested in Najafgarh, Delhi, and “is being interrogated”. He added that a press briefing will be held Saturday to share details about the arrest.
Madhukar is a close associate of Narayan Sakar Hari, alias Bhole Baba, a self-styled godman, at whose satsang the stampede occurred. According to reports, after the incident, Baba had a long conversation with him over the phone.
Following the registration of the case, a reward of Rs 1 lakh was announced by the Hathras Police for his capture. So far, the police have arrested seven individuals, including Madhukar, in connection with the incident.
Earlier, SP Agarwal had told ThePrint that after Madhukar’s arrest, he would be questioned about Baba, who has also been absconding since the incident. “We will also ask about Baba’s role in this,” he said. Madhukar, the main organiser of the satsang, is named as an accused in the FIR, while Bhole Baba is not mentioned as an accused.
Baba and Madhukar’s lawyer, A.P. Singh, issued a statement saying that Madhukar had surrendered to the police, ATS, and STF by calling them to Delhi. Singh mentioned that Madhukar was receiving medical treatment in Najafgarh.
Following the arrest, breaking his silence, Bhole Baba, in a video statement to the ANI, expressed deep sadness over the 2 July incident and “prayed for the strength to endure the pain”. Bhole Baba urged people to trust the government and the administration and said that he will help the victims and will always stand by the families of the deceased. He claimed the stampede was a “conspiracy”.
#WATCH | Hathras Stampede Accident | Mainpuri, UP: In a video statement, Surajpal also known as 'Bhole Baba' says, "… I am deeply saddened after the incident of July 2. May God give us the strength to bear this pain. Please keep faith in the government and the administration. I… pic.twitter.com/7HSrK2WNEM
— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2024
“Please keep faith in the government and the administration. I have faith that anyone who created the chaos would not be spared,” he said.
Baba stated that he has requested the committee members, through his lawyer, to stand with the bereaved families. “I have requested the members of the committee to stand with the bereaved families and the injured and help them throughout their lives…”.
On 2 July, after a satsang in Hathras’s Fulrai village, a stampede resulted in the deaths of 121 people. According to Hathras Police, the deceased included 112 women, seven children, and two men.
The police registered an FIR against chief sevadar Dev Prakash Madhukar, and other organisers and sevadars.
Late Tuesday, an FIR was filed at Sikandra Rao police station under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (homicide), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 223 (disobedience to public servant’s order), and 238 (abetment to commit an offence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against Madhukar and other unidentified organisers. A police search operation is currently ongoing for Bhole Baba in Mainpuri.
According to the FIR, the organisers had sought permission for a crowd of 80,000 people, deliberately concealing the fact that previous events had attracted lakhs of attendees. On Tuesday, approximately 2,50,000 devotees from various districts and neighboring states had assembled.
SP Aggarwal told ThePrint that guidelines for organizing the event were violated, while police officials reported that at the satsang venue, issues were reported, like the lack of CCTV cameras, ambulances, and proper road arrangements.
The SP also mentioned that Baba did not allow the police to enter the venue during the event and did not want their presence. The police claimed that the sevaks prevented them from taking photos and videos and behaved indecently towards them.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)