Dev Prakash Madhukar, a close aide of preacher Narayan Sakar Hari, also known as Bhole Baba, has surrendered to the Uttar Pradesh Police. Madhukar’s lawyer, AP Singh, stated that he initially surrendered to the Delhi Police in Najafgarh, who then handed him over to the UP Police.
A reward of Rs 1 lakh was offered for information leading to Madhukar’s arrest. He had been evading capture since the tragic stampede on July 2, which resulted in the deaths of 121 people, mostly women. The UP Police had expanded their search to neighboring states such as Rajasthan, Delhi, and Haryana to locate him.
Authorities are also seeking preacher Surajpal, who is also known as Narayan Sakar Hari or Bhole Baba, for questioning regarding the stampede. The incident took place during one of Bhole Baba’s Satsangs in Fulrai village, Hathras district.
So far, seven individuals have been arrested in connection with the incident. The First Information Report (FIR) lists Dev Prakash Madhukar as the main accused, along with several unnamed organizers. Notably, Bhole Baba’s name does not appear in the FIR. The case was filed at the Sikandra Rao Police Station in Hathras.
The accused faces charges under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code. These include causing death by negligence (Section 105), attempting to cause death by negligence (Section 110), wrongful restraint (Section 126(2)), disobedience to an order by a public servant (Section 223), and destruction of evidence (Section 238).
The Uttar Pradesh government has established a three-member judicial commission to investigate the Hathras tragedy. This commission, led by a retired High Court judge, will look into the incident and examine if there was a conspiracy behind the stampede.
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