The Uttar Pradesh Police arrested Dev Prakash Madhukar, the main accused in the tragic stampede at a religious congregation in Hathras, where 121 people, mostly women, lost their lives. Madhukar, identified as the ‘Mukhya Sevadar’, was apprehended following an FIR naming him as the prime culprit. Previously, a reward of Rs 1 lakh had been offered for information leading to his capture. This arrest follows the apprehension of six others linked to the organizing committee of the ‘satsang’, conducted by self-styled godman Narayan Sakar Hari, also known as ‘Bhole Baba’.
Eyewitnesses reported a stampede during the event, exacerbated by overcrowding—over 2.50 lakh attendees despite a permitted limit of 80,000—prompting organizers to conceal the true attendance by disposing of evidence. Investigations into Narayan Sakar Hari’s background are ongoing, although he is not named in the FIR.