LUCKNOW: While the intensive hunt for main accused Mukhya Sewadar Dev Prakash Madhukar is still on in connection with the tragic stampede which claimed 121 lives, mainly women, in Hathras on July 2, senior police authorities claimed that if required, preacher Bhole Baba alias Narayan Sakar Hari would also be interrogated in the case.The initial confidential report of the SIT comprising the statements of Hathras district administrative authorities including DM Ashish Kumar, SP Nipun Aggarwal and senior health officials who tended to the emergency situation after the stampede, was submitted to CM Yogi, said sources.It may be recalled that an FIR has been lodged under sections in the case naming Madhukar as the main accused and other unnamed organisers of the Satsang Sabha during which the stampede took place.Late on Tuesday night, the Uttar Pradesh Police registered an FIR against Baba’s Mukhya Sewadar Devprakash Madhukar and a number of unnamed organisers, but Bhole Baba’s name was missing in the FIR.Bhole Baba: How did a UP constable turn into wealthy godman living life king size?The FIR, lodged under Sections 105, 110, 126(a), 223 and 238 of Bharatiya Nyay Samhita (BNS), claimed that over 2.5 lakh people from various districts had gathered for Satsang whereas the organisers had sought permission for only 80,000 people. The FIR also claimed that the bodyguards of the Bhole Baba stopped the devotees rushing to take his blessings in the field and that led them to fall in a ditch over one another leading to the loss of so many lives.Additional DG, Agra Zone, Anupam Kulshreshtha, who heads the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the accident, said that special operations group (SoG) teams across the state were tasked to nab the organizers of the ‘satsang’. “We are moving in a systematic manner, first we will catch the organizers of the event and then as probe progresses, names of others will be added to the FIR,” said the officer when asked whether Bhole Baba would be arrested.So far, six of the organisers have been arrested by the Hathras police and their interrogation is on. Besides, around 30 others hailing from districts like Hathras and Manipuri, where Baba has his Ashram, have been detained for questioning.”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,” a senior police official added.
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