Hathras Stampede: UP Police Nabs Key Accused, Suspects A Political Party's 'Involvement' In Incident

Hathras Stampede: 'Satsang' organiser and prime accused Dev Prakash Madhukar was arrested in Delhi on Friday night. He was taken for medical examination today.

'Satsang' organiser and prime accused in Hathras stampede Dev Prakash Madhukar was arrested in Delhi on Friday night. (Photo: X/@PTI)

Source : PTI

Hathras Stampede: Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday informed about the arrest of the main organiser, Dev Prakash Madhukar, along with two other suspects, Ram Prakash Shakya and Sanju Yadav in the Hathras stampede case. The arrests come amid allegations of political involvement in the incident. This brings the total number of suspects in custody to nine.

In a statement released by the UP DIPR, the police detailed the arrests, noting that Madhukar, who had a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head, was apprehended by the Hathras district SOG in Najafgarh, Delhi, on Friday evening. The subsequent arrests of Shakya and Yadav took place on Saturday in Sikandra Rao.

Hathras Superintendent of Police (SP) Nipun Aggarwal elaborated on the investigation, revealing that Madhukar, who has been a long-term organiser and fundraiser for the group, was found to be in contact with certain political parties. "Based on the interrogation thus far, it appears that a political party might be involved with them for its own political and personal gains," Aggarwal said.

The police are now scrutinising all bank accounts, movable and immovable properties, and money trails linked to Madhukar. "Assistance from other agencies will be sought as necessary," Aggarwal added.

Details from the interrogation indicate that the accused deliberately drove the preacher’s vehicle through a crowd, fully aware of the potential for causing a stampede. An in-depth probe is underway to ascertain whether the incident was premeditated or instigated by external parties. The police have stated that the suspects may be remanded for further interrogation.

The suspects allegedly obstructed police intervention at the event site, banned videography and photography, and disrupted traffic and logistics in violation of the permit conditions. "No efforts were made to control the crowd, and all of them fled the scene," the police reported.

A day after his arrest, Madhukar was sent to 14-day judicial custody by the CJM court, Hathras.

#WATCH | Hathras, UP: Dev Prakash Madhukar, main accused in Hathras stampede sent to 14-day judicial custody by CJM court. pic.twitter.com/HM1fzIwAca

— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2024

Further police revelations state that Dev Prakash has been employed as a junior engineer on a contract basis with the MGNREGA in Etah district since 2010. He has been associated with the organisation for years, organising events and raising funds. He was the principal organiser of the Satsang event held in Phulrai village on July 2, for which he secured the necessary permissions.

'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.

"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