New Delhi:

Devprakash Madhukar, the main accused in the July 2 Hathras stampede which claimed 121 lives, has been taken into custody by Uttar Pradesh Police after he surrendered in Delhi, his lawyer claimed on Friday night.

Madhukar, the ‘mukhya sevadar’ of the ‘satsang’ where the stampede occurred, is the only accused named in the FIR lodged at Sikandra Rao police station in Hathras in connection with the incident.

In a video message, Madhukar’s lawyer A P Singh claimed that his client had surrendered in Delhi, where he was undergoing treatment.

“Today, we have surrendered Devprakash Madhukar, who was 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,” Mr Singh 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.

Mr Singh said police may now record his statement or question him but must take into consideration his health condition and ensure that “nothing wrong happens with him”.

Recently, the Supreme Court lawyer had claimed that he represents Surajpal alias Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba, the self-styled godman at whose ‘satsang’ the stampede occurred.

Uttar Pradesh Police had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to Madhukar’s arrest.

Till Thursday, six people, including two women volunteers who were members of the organising committee of Bhole Baba’s ‘satsang’, had been arrested in the case.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hathras, UP:

 The Uttar Pradesh government has set up a three-member Judicial Inquiry Commission under the chairmanship of retired Justice Brijesh Kumar Srivastava (II) of Allahabad High Court to investigate the July 2 Hathras stampede, in which at least 121 died.

A notification in this regard was issued by Governor Anandiben Patel late on Wednesday night.

Retired IAS officer Hemant Rao and retired IPS officer Bhavesh Kumar Singh have been appointed as members of the inquiry commission. The headquarters of the commission will be located in Lucknow.

The commission is tasked with completing its investigation within two months from the date of the notification.

According to an official release, any extension of this duration will require an order from the state government. The commission will investigate the prescribed points and submit the report to the state government.

The prescribed points for the probe include investigating the organiser’s compliance with the conditions set for granting permission by the district administration. The commission will also investigate whether the incident was an accident, a conspiracy, or the result of another planned criminal act.

Additionally, the commission will examine crowd control and law and order arrangements by the administration and the police during the event, along with related aspects. It will also analyse the reasons and circumstances leading to the incident.

Furthermore, the commission will provide recommendations to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Bhole Baba aka Narayan Saakar Hari is likely to be arrested soon after more than 100 people died in a stampede at his ‘satsang’ (religious congregation) in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras on Tuesday. The self-styled godman, whose original name is Suraj Pal, is believed to be at his ‘ashram’ in Mainpuri, about 100 km from the Phulrai village, where he held the event attended by thousands of devotees.

Many senior police officials have reached the Hathras stampede site, while others are at his ashram, the Ram Kutir Charitable Trust. Besides police personnel, an NDTV team at the ashram also saw his devotees gathering in large numbers.

In Hathras, a forensic unit and a dog squad are at the stampede site. Teams of the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are also present.

At least 121 people, including over 100 women and seven children, were killed in the Hathras stampede. The Uttar Pradesh government said most of the people who died in the stampede have been identified.

A compensation of Rs 2 lakh each has been announced for the families of the dead and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed their condolences to the families of the victims.

How Hathras Stampede Happened

Officials said the place where the Hathras stampede happened was too small to accommodate the crowd that had gathered there on Tuesday afternoon. A woman who attended the ‘satsang’ said the stampede broke out as the crowd began to leave.

After the ‘satsang’, devotees rushed to touch the feet of the self-styled guru, causing a big crowd build-up in a small area, officials said.

Devotees had come to the ‘satsang’ from various districts of Uttar Pradesh as well as neighboring states.

A high-level committee has been formed to investigate the incident.

The panel will be headed by the Additional Director General of Police, Agra, and the Aligarh Commissioner, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said.

Case Against Hathras Satsang Organisers

A case has been filed against the ‘satsang organisers’ in Hathras, officials said.

According to the FIR, permission was granted for 80,000 people but more than 2.5 lakh devotees attended the event.

“Due to the uncontrollable crowd leaving the venue, devotees sitting on the ground were crushed. On the other side of the road, the crowd running in the water and mud-filled fields was forcibly stopped by the organizing committee with sticks, due to which the pressure of the crowd kept increasing and women, children, and men kept getting crushed,” the FIR said.

“The police and administrative officials present on the spot made every possible effort and sent the injured people to the hospital with the available resources. But no cooperation was given by the organizers,” the FIR added.

They have been charged under sections 105, 110, 126 (2), 223, and 238 of the new criminal code Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Godman Behind Hathras ‘Satsang’

Self-styled guru Narayan Saakar Hari has often claimed that he has worked with the Intelligence Bureau. He also told his devotees that he was inclined towards spirituality even when he was working and had resigned in the 1990s to pursue the spiritual path.

Born in Bahadur Nagari village in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district to a farmer, Nanne Lal, and Katori Devi, he completed his initial studies in the village.

He was reportedly a head constable with the Local Intelligence Unit of the UP police. He left his police job in 1999 and then changed his name to Narayan Saakar Hari.

He claims he began working for the Intelligence Bureau after college and turned towards spirituality during his time there.

Hathras Stampede Helpline Numbers

The Uttar Pradesh government has launched two helpline numbers — 05722227041 and 05722227042 — after the Hathras stampede incident.

Hathras, UP:

After the Uttar Pradesh police carried out a search operation at Ram Kutir Charitable Trust in Mainpuri district in search of ‘Bhole Baba’, who hold a Satsang in Hathras where a stampede took place claiming the lives of 116 people, Deputy Superintendent of Police Sunil Kumar revealed that Baba ji was not found inside the campus.

“We did not find Baba ji inside the campus…He is not here…” said Deputy SP Sunil Kumar.

#WATCH | Mainpuri | Hathras Stampede | Deputy SP Sunil Kumar says, “We did not find Baba ji inside the campus…He is not here…” https://t.co/zrjkIrVzphpic.twitter.com/KN7Dls4mOU

— ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2024

Aligarh DM Vishak G Iyer said that as many as 23 bodies have been brought to Aligarh and a total of three injured people are receiving treatment and out of them one is in critical condition.

“A total of 23 bodies have been brought to Aligarh…Three injured people from the Hathras incident are getting treatment at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College. Out of them, two are in stable condition whereas one is in critical condition. We have talked to the hospital administration and the procedure to take the (critical) patient to the ICU is underway…” said Aligarh DM Vishak G Iyer.

Hathras Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Manjeet Singh said that the procedure of identifying the bodies brought is underway. 19 out of a total of 32 have been identified.

“A total of 116 people have died so far…32 bodies were brought here and 19 of them have been identified. We are identifying the rest of them…” said Hathras Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Manjeet Singh.

Congress MP KL Sharma appealed to the state government that when such events are organised, they should ensure the proper safety of the people.

“I want to appeal to the state government that if such events are organised, they should also take care of the preparation and ensure proper safety of the people. I got to know that several women have lost their lives. The compensation amount should have been more, keeping the condition of the family in mind…” said Congress MP KL Sharma.

Reacting to the same incident, Congress MP Imran Masood said, “There are 32 bodies here and nine injured people, including one female police officer. A lot of them are yet to be identified…Right now, everyone is focused on providing relief to those who have suffered…”

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary called the Hathras incident “unfortunate”.”

Speaking to reporters, Samrat Choudhary said, “It is extremely unfortunate. The government is reviewing it. It is unfortunate that so many people lost their lives…”

Meanwhile, an eyewitness in the Hathras stampede incident, Shakuntala Devi said, “There was a Satsang of Bhole Baba going on. Right after the Satsang finished, several people started coming out from there. A stampede took place as the road was uneven and people fell on each other…”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Gopalgunj:

Two women and a child died and more than ten people were injured in a stampede at a crowed pandal durga Puja celebrations in Bihar’s Gopalgunj on Monday late evening.

The stampede broke out at the Raja Dal Durga Puja pandal during ‘Maha Navami’ celebrations and revelry, police said.

The injured pandal-hoppers were admitted to Sadar Hospital, the police said, adding that there was no security deployment at the pandal to manage crowds, which led to the stampede.

Speaking to ANI, the Gopalganj SP said, “There was a stampede near the gate of Raja Dal Puja Pandal around 8.30 pm. A child fell to the ground and was trampled upon as the revellers ran helter-skelter. Two women rushed to the child’s rescue but also ended up being trampled upon by the crowds. The women gasped for air and succumbed while being rushed to a hospital. The local magistrate and a police team arrived at the spot and took control of the situation.”

#WATCH | Bihar: Gopalganj District Magistrate Nawal Kishor Choudhary says, “There are several pandals in the state as it is Durga Navami today. A child fell due to the crowd at the pandal and two women trying to save him also fell and could not get up…They died while they were… pic.twitter.com/jC8NGV8KwR

— ANI (@ANI) October 23, 2023

Police officials said that the accident happened due to excessive crowding at the gate of the Puja pandal.
Further details are awaited.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)