Hathras stampede: Key accused sent to 14-day jail

Noida: Devprakash Madhukar, the key accused in the July 2 Hathras stampede, was on Saturday sent to 14-day judicial custody by a magistrate court, officials said.

Besides, Sanju Yadav, another suspect who has been arrested in connection with the case, was also sent to jail for the same duration, they said.

Earlier in the day, Hathras Superintendent of Police Nipun Agarwal told reporters that the police would apply in the court to get the remand of Madhukar and other suspects.

“Devprakash Madhukar and Sanju Yadav were produced before the judicial magistrate’s court today and both were sent in judicial remand for 14 days,” Assistant Prosecution Officer Uma Shankar Yadav told reporters.

The APO said Ramprakash Shakya, who too has been arrested in the stampede case, would be produced in the court on Sunday since he was arrested after Madhukar and Yadav and has some police formalities pending.

Madhukar was arrested from Delhi’s Najafgarh area late on Friday night by a Special Operations Group of the Hathras police. Shakya and Yadav were arrested on Saturday from Hathras, according to police.

Madhukar is the only named accused in the FIR, which also mentions as accused “several other unidentified organisers” of the Satsang.

The stampede after a Satsang of self-styled godman Surajpal alias Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba left 121 people, mostly women, dead.