Prime Accused in Hathras Stampede Arrested by UP Police

Lucknow: Dev Prakash Madhukar, the key accused in the tragic stampede at a ‘satsang’ in Hathras was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday. This stampede claimed the lives of as many as 121 people, mostly women.

Madhukar, the ‘Mukhya Sevadar’, was named as the main accused in the FIR filed by the UP police and a reward of Rs 1 lakh was declared for information about him.

On Thursday UP police arrested six members of the satsang organising committee in connection with the stampede.

The stampede took place on July 2 during the satsang by self-proclaimed godman Narayan Sakar Hari alias ‘Bhole Baba’.

According to the FIR, over 2.50 lakh people attended the congregation while the administration had permitted only 80,000 people.

The stampede occurred when several devotees ran to collect the soil from the preacher’s feet, which they believed could heal all their ailments. However, the gaodman Bhole Baba’s name has not been mentioned in the FIR.