Hathras Stampede: The prime accused in the stampede at Hathras ‘satsang’ that claimed 121 lives was arrested by the a Special Operations Group of Hathras police on July 5 in Delhi. The accused, Dev Prakash Madhukar, was the main organiser of the religious discourse. Ever since the tragic incident, he was at large and was nabbed in Delhi’s Najafgarh yesterday.
VIDEO | Hathras stampede: “The prime accused in the ‘satsang’ stampede tragedy has been arrested. 121 people were killed in a stampede that occurred during the satsang of ‘Bhole Baba’. An FIR was lodged and six people have already been arrested. The prime accused was arrested… pic.twitter.com/rbSizTbbw8
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 6, 2024
Hathras Superindent of Police Nipun Agrawal, while addressing a press conference on the matter, said that Madhulkar, who had a reward of 1 lakh rupees on his head, was contacted by some political parties recently.
“Political parties had contacted him, and strict action will be taken against any political party or leader involved,” Agrawal said.
Madhukar also played the role of a fundraiser for events of self-styled godman Bhole Baba and was the one who took permission for the Hathras ‘satsang’ as well.
“The police will apply for remand of Madhukar,” the SP said, adding that his “financial transactions, money trails are being looked into, and call detail records also being checked.”
#WATCH | Hathras stampede incident: Nipun Aggarwal, Superintendent of Police Hathras says, “See, the SOG of Hathras district arrested Dev Prakash Madhukar yesterday evening in from Delhi’s Najafgarh. They have been questioned… The list of donors is being compiled to see from… pic.twitter.com/jKvTLy1pw8
— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2024
At around 2.15 pm on Saturday, the prime accused was brought to the Bagla Combined District Hospital in Hathras for a medical examination amid heavy security deployment.
In the visuals from the hopsital, Madhukar can be seen with his face covered with a handkerchief and a stole tied around his head.
VIDEO | Hathras stampede: Police bring prime accused Devprakash Madhukar to hospital for medical examination.
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvqRQz) pic.twitter.com/fFxXcs7yFX
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 6, 2024
Madhukar was a junior engineer in MGNREGA in Etah. Besides him, two other people have been arrested, making a total of nine arrests so far.
‘We Did No Wrong. What Is Our Crime?’: Madhukar’s Lawyer
Madhukar’s lawyer AP Singh claimed that his client, who is the only accused named in the FIR, surrendered to the police in Delhi, where he had come for treatment, news agency PTI reported.
“Today, we have surrendered Devprakash Madhukar, who has been called the main organiser in the FIR in the Hathras case, after calling the police, the SIT and the STF in Delhi since he was undergoing treatment here,” lawyer Singh claimed on Friday night.
ALSO READ| Hathras Stampede: Bhole Baba Urges People To Have Faith In Govt Probe Into Tragedy
“We had promised we would not apply for anticipatory bail since we did no wrong. What is our crime? He is an engineer and a heart patient. Doctors said his condition is stable now and so we surrendered today to join the probe,” the lawyer said.
“Madhukar will join the probe and share information about the anti-social elements at the event,” he added
3-Member Judicial Team Inspect Hathras Site
The Uttar Pradesh government on July 3 had formed a three-member judicial commission to probe the Hathras tragedy and find out if there was a possible conspiracy behind the stampede. The panel is headed by a retired Allahabad High Court judge Brijesh Kumar Srivastav.
#WATCH | Hathras stampede incident: Three-member Judicial Inquiry Commission formed by the Uttar Pradesh government inspects the spot where the stampede took place on 2nd July claiming the lives of 121 lives pic.twitter.com/Kep6U4UqL4
— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2024
“We inspected the entire spot. We have noted down everything… What were the exit points, what would have been the capacity. We will not be able to draw any conclusions right now,” said retired HC judge Srivastav.
VIDEO | Hathras stampede: “We inspected the entire spot. We have noted down everything… What were the exit points, what would have been the capacity. We will not be able to draw any conclusions right now,” says retired Allahabad High Court judge Brijesh Kumar Srivastav.
(Full… pic.twitter.com/5cdfMJ75bw
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 6, 2024
ALSO READ: SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav Accuses UP Govt Of ‘Minor Arrests’ To Cover Up Failures In Hathras Stampede
