The Uttar Pradesh police on Friday arrested Dev Prakash Madhukar, the key accused in the tragic stampede at a satsang in Hathras that claimed the lives of as many as 121 people, mostly women.
This comes a day after the UP police nabbed six people in connection with the Hathras stampede. They were all members of the organising committee involved in holding the satsang, the police stated.
The satsang was conducted by preacher Narayan Sakar Hari, or ‘Bhole Baba’ in Hathras on Tuesday.
‘Mukhya sevadar’ Dev Prakash Madhukar was identified as the main accused by the police, according to the FIR filed by the police. Earlier, the police had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information regarding the whereabouts of Madhukar.
According to the FIR, over 2.50 lakh people attended the religious gathering, despite the fact that the administration had given permission for 80,000 people.
Satsang organisers, according to the FIR, tried to hide the actual number of people at the event by concealing evidence and throwing slippers and other belongings of the followers of the godman in nearby fields.
The stampede occurred when several devotees scrambled to collect the soil from the preacher’s feet, which they thought could heal all their ailments. Eyewitnesses recalled how people fell one after one, with their bodies lying atop each other.
Meanwhile, the police are actively gathering information on Narayan Sakaar Hari’s background, and teams have been dispatched to cities where he has potential criminal records. However, his name has not been mentioned in the FIR.