Hathras stampede: Hunt underway to find key accused, ‘missing’ preacher

Government agencies including police in Uttar Pradesh have launched a massive hunt across neighbouring Rajasthan and Haryana to track down Devprakash Madhukar, the key accused in the Hathras stampede incident and preacher Surajpal alias Narayan Sakar Hari for questioning in the case.

As many as 121 people, mostly women, were killed in the stampede after the preacher's ‘satsang’ in Hathras' Fulrai village on July 2 in one of the worst tragedies in recent years.

While Madhukar, the 'mukhya sevadar' (chief organiser of the satsang), is the only named accused in the FIR, Surajpal was not mentioned as accused.

Besides Madhukar, “several unidentified organisers” were also booked in the case lodged at the Sikandra Rao Police Station and six suspects have been arrested so far.

Hunt on for Baba

A government official said none has been given a clean chit and agencies are also looking for the preacher, also known as Bhole Baba to question him.

“No one has been given a clean chit. The investigation is on and government agencies are searching for the main accused who is absconding. The agencies are also looking for the preacher to question him," the official told PTI.

"The teams have visited parts of western Uttar Pradesh and eastern-most districts of the state as part of the search operation. They are also looking in states like Rajasthan and Haryana," the official added.

SIT report

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also been apprised of a Special Investigative Team (SIT) report on the stampede.

A report has been submitted to the government by the Additional Director General of Police (Agra Zone) Anupam Kulshrestha who was among the top officers who visited Hathras to oversee rescue and relief measures after the stampede on July 2.

The confidential report contains statements of the Hathras district magistrate Ashish Kumar, Superintendent of Police Nipun Aggarwal, and senior health department officials who tended to the emergency situation arising due to the stampede, according to the official.

An FIR in the matter was filed on July 2 under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 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), 238 (causing disappearance of evidence).

The Uttar Pradesh government has on Wednesday formed a three-member judicial commission headed by a retired high court judge to probe the case, and also to look into the possibility of a “conspiracy” behind the stampede.

(With inputs from agencies)