On Friday, Dev Prakash Madhukar, the main accused in the Hathras stampede case and an aide to self-styled godman Surajpal alias Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba, was arrested in Delhi. Hathras Superintendent of Police Nipun Agarwal confirmed Madhukar’s arrest, stating that he is being brought to Hathras for court proceedings.
The tragic stampede occurred during a ‘satsang’ organized by Madhukar, who served as the ‘mukhya sevadar’ (chief organizer). The incident led to an FIR at Sikandra Rao police station, where Madhukar was named the primary accused. His arrest follows the apprehension of six other members of the satsang’s organizing committee, including two female volunteers, on Thursday.
In a video message, Madhukar’s lawyer, AP Singh, claimed that his client had surrendered in Delhi, where he was receiving medical treatment. “Today, we have surrendered Dev Prakash Madhukar, the main organizer in the FIR related to the Hathras case, after notifying the police, the SIT, and the STF in Delhi. He was undergoing treatment here,” Singh stated.
Singh added, “We had promised not to seek anticipatory bail as we believe we did nothing wrong. Dev Prakash is an engineer and a heart patient. Doctors have now declared his condition stable, so we have surrendered to join the investigation.”
On Friday, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, visited Hathras and met with the families of the stampede victims. Gandhi reported that the families expressed concerns over inadequate police arrangements for the religious event, which they believe led to the stampede.
The arrests on Thursday, which followed a visit by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to Hathras, included Ram Ladete (50) from Mainpuri, Upendra Singh Yadav (62) from Firozabad, Megh Singh (61) from Hathras, Manju Yadav (30) from Hathras, Mukesh Kumar (38) from Hathras, and Manju Devi (40) from Hathras. These individuals were involved in various organizational tasks such as crowd management, collection of donations, and venue arrangements.
Inspector General of Police, Aligarh Range, Shalabh Mathur, explained that the arrested sevadars (volunteers) were responsible for managing the crowd, setting up barricades, handling electricity arrangements, and maintaining cleanliness. They also allegedly prevented police and administrative personnel from taking photos or videos of the event and misbehaved when questioned.
The police continue to investigate the incident, with further questioning of Bhole Baba and others involved expected if necessary. The investigation aims to understand the complete circumstances leading to the tragic stampede and ensure accountability for the events that transpired.
Also read: LOP Rahul Gandhi Pays Visit To Hathras Stampede Victim’s Family In Aligarh