Hathras Stampede: Superintendent Of Police Nipun Agarwal Accuses Dev Prakash Madhukar & His Team of Negligence In Satsang Arrangements

Lucknow: The Superintendent of Police (SP) Hathras Nipun Agarwal told reporters that Dev Prakash Madhukar, along with his sevadars and committee members, were fully responsible for the barricading, entrance, exit, seating arrangements, parking, and other facilities around the pandal of the satsang.

The accused, Madhukar, and his team prevented the police administration from interfering with the venue’s arrangements. Sevadars, dressed as commandos, managed all the arrangements inside, allowing unrestricted videography and photography. Despite these responsibilities, the arrangements were poorly executed, violating many conditions of the administration’s permission letter and affecting the traffic system.

Interrogation revealed that no efforts were made by Madhukar and his sevadars to control the crowd. Instead, they fled the scene.

6 Sevadars Arrested

Six sevadars had been arrested on Friday and on Saturday two more, Ram Prakash Shakya and Sanju Yadav, were arrested.

“It was also disclosed that they extracted the preacher’s car through the crowd, despite knowing that the scramble for charanraj (the dust of Baba’s feet) could trigger a stampede. The police plan to take the arrested sevadars and organizers into custody for further interrogation,” the SP said.

The SP revealed that during the interrogation of Madhukar, it emerged that some political parties had contacted him. A detailed investigation is underway to determine if political parties funded such programs and other resources.

Preliminary findings suggest that political parties may be associated with Madhukar for their political and personal interests. The investigation includes scrutiny of all related bank accounts, movable and immovable properties, and money trails linked to the accused.

Bhole Baba's Comment On Hathras Stampede Tragedy

Bhole Baba addressed the public for the first time since the incident. Speaking to a news agency on Saturday morning, he expressed his sorrow.

"We are very sad after the stampede incident. God should give us and the congregation strength to overcome this sad moment. Everyone should have faith in the government and administration. We are confident that whoever is responsible will not be spared. Our committee will help the families of the deceased and the injured," he stated.

Judicial Custody

The court has remanded Dev Prakash Madhukar, the main accused in the Hathras incident, and Sanju Yadav, another arrested suspect, to 14 days of judicial custody. The third arrested accused, Shakya, will be produced in court later. Both Madhukar and Yadav underwent medical examinations at the district hospital before being presented in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Jai Hind Kumar Singh, who ordered their detention for 14 days. Shakya is scheduled to appear on July 7.

Madhukar was arrested in Delhi on the evening of July 5 and subsequently interrogated by the police. On July 6, he was taken to the emergency department of Bagla District Hospital for a medical examination. Due to a large media presence, the police initially withdrew Madhukar after completing the necessary paperwork. He was brought back to the hospital 15 minutes later for the examination.