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Hathras stampede: Satsang ‘organiser’ Madhukar in judicial custody; cops say accused ‘contacted’ by political parties
Dev Prakash Madhukar, the 'mukhya sevadar' of the ‘satsang’ is the only accused named in the FIR lodged at Sikandra Rao police station in Hathras.
Dev Prakash Madhukar, the primary accused in the Hathras stampede that claimed 121 lives, has been remanded to 14-day judicial custody by a court in Uttar Pradesh.
Hathras police said on Friday that they arrested Madhukar, named as the prime suspect in the FIR filed after the stampede. Madhukar had obtained permission for the satsang from the local sub-divisional magistrate.
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“Madhukar had been on the run since July 2. He was arrested late Friday night,” said Nipun Agarwal, superintendent of police in Hathras. “He will be questioned in detail about his links with Baba, and information about other core members of the organising committee will also be gathered.” The police had announced a reward of ₹1 lakh for Madhukar’s arrest.
Locals say that all major activities of Bhole Baba, also known as Narayan Sarkar Hari or Suraj Pal Singh, were managed in Hathras by Madhukar and other close aides.
Madhukar was recently contacted by political parties: Police
Madhukar was contacted by some political parties recently, Agarwal said.
"His financial transactions, money trails are being looked into, and call detail records also being checked," Agarwal added.
Madhukar is the 'mukhya sevadar' of the 'satsang' where the stampede occurred. He is the only accused named in the FIR lodged at Sikandra Rao police station in Hathras in connection with the incident.
We will question all those who need to be questioned: SIT
The Judicial Inquiry Commission, formed by the Uttar Pradesh government, inspected the Hathras stampede site on Saturday, where 121 people died on July 2.
The commission, led by former Allahabad High Court judge Brijesh Kumar Srivastava, includes former IAS officer Hemant Rao and former IPS officer Bhavesh Kumar Singh.
Justice Srivastava said that the commission will question everyone involved. "We inspected the entire site, including entry and exit points. It's too early for conclusions. We will question all those who need to be questioned. Yes, we will submit our report within 2 months because we have been mandated," he said.
