In first arrests in the Hathras stampede case, police have nabbed six people, all of whom are 'sevadars' of the self-proclaimed godman 'Bhole Baba' who organised the 'satsang' where the tragedy struck, killing over 121 people on Tuesday.
Aligarh IG Shalabh Mathur, addressing a press briefing on the Hathras stampede case investigation, said on Thursday that 'Bhole Baba's' criminal history is also being inquired, adding that permission for the event was not taken in his name.
Aligarh IG Shalabh Mathur on Thursday, "...Six people including four men and two women have been arrested in the incident. They all are members of the organising committee and worked as 'Sevadars'."
Aligarh IG Shalabh Mathur said these six arrested 'sevadars' or servitors had run away from the site after the stampede occueed, adding that a Rs 1 lakh reward has been announced for information of the main accused Prakash Madhukar.
"Soon, a non-bailable warrant will be issued against him. We will also investigate if this incident occurred due to a conspiracy," Aligarh IG Shalabh Mathur said.
An FIR was registered under culpable homicide (Sections 105, 110), wrongful restraint (Section 126[2]), disobedience to order (Section 223) and disappearance of evidence of offence (Section 238) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, against Prakash Madhukar referred to as 'Mukhya Sewadar' and other organisers of the religious event where the stampede occurred.
Hathras Stampede | Recap
An unmanageably large crowd, race to touch 'Bhole Baba's' aka 'Parmatma's' feet and collect soil from his exit path on the ground which got slippery due to an overflowing drain nearby seemingly led to the stampede tragedy on Tuesday in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, which claimed the lives of over 121 people, most of whom were women.
The FIR in the case said that the people who attended the satsang rushed to collect the soil on which the self-proclaimed godman exited from the event.
Tens of thousands of devotees had gathered in the Hathras district’s Phulrai village on Tuesday for the ‘satsang’, conducted by Baba Narayan Hari who is also known as 'Saakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba'.
The stampede, as per witnesses, occurred after the 'satsang' had ended and when the preacher was exiting the venue, prompting people to race to touch his feet.
'Satsang' preacher Bhole Baba’s lawyer A P Singh said the preacher is ready to cooperate with the state administration and the police probing Tuesday's stampede. "Some anti-social elements hatched a conspiracy,” he claimed.
Bhole Baba Not Named In FIR
The self-styled godman and preacher 'Bhole Baba' has not been named in the FIR filed in the Hathras stampede case. Asked why the preacher was not named in the FIR as an accused, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Wednesday, "Prima facie, the case has been filed against those who applied for permission for the event. Whoever is responsible for this will come under its purview."
The government has formed a special investigation team led by Agra's additional director general of police Anupam Kulshreshtha.
At Bhole Baba’s native village Bahadurnagar in Kasganj district, people don’t blame him for the Hathras tragedy. For them, he is the ‘baba’ who never asked for donations or "chadhava" (offerings) from anyone.
