Six persons, comprising two girls and four males, have been detained thus far in relation to the terrible Hathras stampede, which resulted in the deaths of 121 people, according to a statement released by the Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday. According to the authorities, the individuals detained are “Sevadars,” or Satsang volunteers.
Additionally, the police have declared a ₹1 lakh reward for the primary culprit, Prakash Madhukar,’s capture.
“When the stampede occurred the six servitors who are now arrested had run away from the site. ₹1 lakh reward is being announced on the arrest 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,” IG (Aligarh Range) Shalabh Mathur said during a press conference.
Since they had made the arrangements themselves, Mathur claims that the religious event organisers did not permit the police to attend.
“We have issued a non-bailable warrant against the accused persons…The Satsang volunteers were found to be negligent and lacking in approach while dealing the crowd after the Satsang ended. As things got out of hand, they absconded…We are also investigating if there was any angle of conspiracy behind the incident,” Mathur said.
The horrifying occurrence happened on Tuesday during a “Satsang,” a religious gathering led by preacher Bhole Baba, which drew thousands of people to a specially set up tent in Rati Bhanpur village in the Sikandra Rau area of Hathras district. The police claimed that a number of reasons, including extreme crowding, a lack of exits, unfavourable weather, and others, might have contributed to the high death toll.
The Uttar Pradesh police filed a formal complaint (FIR) against the religious congregation’s organisers on Wednesday, alleging that they had concealed evidence and disregarded regulations, allowing 2.5 lakh people to attend the event when only 80,000 were allowed. The FIR does not, however, mention Bhole Baba, the mastermind of the “Satsang” that caused the stampede.
IG Mathur claims that because Bhole Baba’s permission was not requested for the religious function, his name is not mentioned in the FIR.
“However, Bhole Baba will be interrogated if required, but it all depends on the course of the investigation…We are also probing reports of his criminal past,” the police said.
