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Main accused Devprakash Madhukar was Bhole Baba’s eyes and ears
Madhukar was arrested by the UP police from Delhi’s Najafgarh after being named in an FIR registered at Sikandra Rau police station of Hathras in connection with the stampede that claimed 121 lives
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Agra/Kanpur: Devprakash Madhukar, the main accused in the Hathras stampede, earned a mere Rs.11,000 a month as a technical assistant with MNERGA in Etah district—36 kilometres from his bungalow-like house in Sikandara Rau town of Hathras and travelled the distance in his car.
Madhukar, who had the ear of the self-styled godman Suraj Pal Jatav, known to his followers as Narayan Sakar Hari or Bhole Baba, saw a dramatic financial rise in the last 14 years of his association with the preacher.
He was made the “chief sevadar”, heading a committee of 78 wealthy people responsible for Baba’s satsangs and managing all the arrangements. Madhukar handled all the cash, amounting to crores.
In Sheetalpur, block where he has been working since 2010, Madhukar’s responsibilities extended to managing vouchers and bills for MNREGA at the village level, where he closely interacted with lower-income groups. His ability to connect with rural communities greatly enhanced Baba’s influence, solidifying Madhukar’s position as the primary liaison for Suraj Pal Jatav, said people who are privy to details following his arrest.
About 14 years ago, he came in contact with Bhole Baba through his in-laws but never looked back after leaving his paternal village Salempur in Etah and shifting to Sikandra Rau in Hathras.
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Soon, he was in close proximity to Bhole Baba for his skill in organising and managing satsangs.
Residents of his parental village in Etah were baffled after they heard about Madhukar’s arrest on Friday in the high-profile Hathras stampede case.
The house in Salempur was found locked by police when they went there in search of Madhukar on Thursday. His parents and brother had moved away.
People were aware that Madhukar had grown in stature in recent years and was a trusted lieutenant of Bhole Baba, so much so that he was tasked with collecting donations and organising crowds at the satsangs.
Madhukar was active in getting residents of his native village associated with Bhole Baba’s organization. He also contested the election for village pradhan’s post but lost. About 30 people in his village, where his parents lived, had gone to attend satsang in Hathras but returned home safe.
“The accused Dev Prakash Madhukar had a long association with the organisation holding the satsang and was involved in raising funds and running the organisation. It was revealed during interrogation that Madhukar had contacted a few political parties,” superintendent of police, Hathras, Nipun Agarwal said at a press conference on Saturday.
Madhukar was arrested by the UP police from Delhi’s Najafgarh after being named in an FIR registered at Sikandra Rau police station of Hathras in connection with the stampede that claimed 121 lives.
“Dev Prakash Madhukar had left the village about a decade ago but his parents continued to reside here. His brother resided in Nidholi Kalan town of Etah. Madhukar had no links with Bhole Baba till he was here. We knew that after settling in Sikandra Rau in Hathras district, Madhukar was into something “big” but the exact work done by him was not known,” said a villager at Salempur on condition of anonymity.
People said he became affluent after he moved to Sikandra Rau.
What surprised many is that though he earned just ₹11,000 per month from his contractual job at Sheetalpur block in Etah as a technical assistant, he owned a house in the New Colony of Sikandra Rau in Hathras and reconstructed his parental house at the village in Etah.
Madhukar’s wife is a panchayat assistant.
“He used to take people mainly of low-income groups to the Baba’s discourses in vehicles that he used to arrange,” said an official, adding that Madhukar had become an integral part of Baba’s empire.
He had not reported for work as MNREGA technical assistant since July 1 but once his name appeared in the FIR filed in the stampede case, the block development officer (BDO) initiated action for his removal by ending his contract as technical assistant.
The permission sought from the Sikandra Rau subdivisional magistrate for the satsang was in the name of “engineer” Dev Prakash Madhukar as the charge of the satsang. After the stampede, the police went to his house at Sikandra Rau for a raid but found it locked.
Madhukar’s importance in the organisation of Bhole Baba could be gauged by the fact that AP Singh, the counsel for the preacher, on Friday described him (Madhukar) as an engineer, an able and social man but a heart patient.
