Devprakash Madhukar, the main accused in the Hathras stampede case, was taken into custody after he surrendered in Delhi on Friday night, said top Uttar Pradesh police sources. Less than 24 hours later, preacher Bhole Baba on Saturday issued his first statement saying he is “extremely pained” by the deadly incident on July 2, which claimed 121 lives. He said he is “with the victims” and has “full faith in the state authorities that culprits will not be spared”.
“We are distressed after the incident of July 2. May God give us the strength to overcome this sorrow. We should have faith in the government administration. Culprits will not be spared. We told through our lawyer that we stand with those who are going through this sorrow, with our body, money and mind,” he said.
Surajpal alias Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba, through his lawyer, has already agreed to cooperate with the state administration and police while seeking an investigation into the matter. This statement came days after he went incognito in the aftermath of the stampede that took place during one of his religious congregations.
The preacher, however, is not named in the FIR registered in connection with the incident while Madhukar, the mukhya sevadar of the satsang where the stampede took place, is the only accused named in the FIR lodged at Sikandrarau police station in Hathras.
In a video message, Madhukar’s lawyer AP Singh said his client surrendered in Delhi, where he was undergoing treatment. “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,” he said.
“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.
He said police may now record his statement or question him but they must take into consideration his health condition and ensure that “nothing wrong happens with him”. “We did not do anything like filing anticipatory bail or moving court, which would have been viewed as an effort to save ourselves and being scared… questions were being raised about his (Madhukar) whereabouts and if he had run away,” he added.
Singh further said Madhukar will join the probe and share information about the “anti-social elements” at the event. The police had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to Madhukar’s arrest.
On July 3, the Supreme Court lawyer said he also represents Bhole Baba and that some “anti-social elements” were behind the tragedy. He said Surajpal was ready to cooperate with the state administration and police and had sought an investigation into the entire matter.
Till July 4, six people, including two women volunteers who were members of the organising committee of the satsang, were arrested in the case. The FIR was lodged on July 2 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 126 (2) (wrongful restraint), 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by the public servant) and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence).
On July 3, the state government formed a three-member judicial commission headed by a retired high court judge to probe the Hathras tragedy and to look into the possibility of a conspiracy behind the stampede.
(With PTI inputs)
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