Noida Devprakash Madhukar, the main accused in the July 2 Hathras stampede that claimed 121 lives, had fled to Delhi after the deadly episode before the Uttar Pradesh police took him into custody last night, officials said.
Madhukar's lawyer AP Singh on Friday night claimed that his client had surrendered to the police in Delhi.
A police officer said Madhukar was detained by a team of Special Operations Group (SOG) of Hathras police.
"He was detained in Delhi, near Najafgarh area," said another police officer in Hathras, requesting anonymity.
However, the police are yet to officially announce the arrest of Madhukar, the 'mukhya sevadar' of the 'satsang' where the stampede occurred. He is the only accused named in the FIR lodged at Sikandra Rao police station in Hathras in connection with the incident.
In a video message, Madhukar's lawyer AP Singh claimed that his client had surrendered in Delhi, where he was undergoing treatment.
"Today we have handed over Devprakash Madhukar, who has been considered the main organizer of the FIR in the Hathras case, after calling the police, SIT and STF in Delhi as he was undergoing treatment here," Singh said.
"We had promised that we would not seek anticipatory bail as we had not committed any crime. What is our crime? He is an engineer and a heart patient. The doctors said that his condition is now stable and that is why we surrendered today to join the investigation," he said. said the lawyer.
Singh said the police can now record his statement or interrogate him, but he must take into account his health condition and ensure that "nothing bad happens to him".
"We did not do anything like file anticipatory bail or move to court, which would have been seen as an effort to save us and scare us...Questions were raised about the whereabouts of him (Madhukar) and whether he had escaped," he claimed. . .
Madhukar will join the investigation and share information about the "anti-social elements" at the event, he added.
The Uttar Pradesh police had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to Madhukar's arrest.
On July 3, the Supreme Court lawyer claimed that he also represents Surajpal alias Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba, the self-styled god at whose 'satsang' the stampede occurred, and that some "anti-social elements" were behind the tragedy. . .
Surajpal was willing to cooperate with the state administration and the police and had requested a probe into the entire matter, Singh had said.
Till Thursday, six people, including two volunteers, who were members of the Bhole Baba 'satsang' organizing committee, had been arrested in the case.
On July 2, an FIR was lodged in the matter under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 126 (2) (unfair control), 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by the public servant) and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence).
On July 3, the Uttar Pradesh government had formed a three-member judicial commission headed by a retired high court judge to probe the Hathras tragedy and examine the possibility of a conspiracy behind the stampede.
Madhukar's lawyer AP Singh on Friday night claimed that his client had surrendered to the police in Delhi.
A police officer said Madhukar was detained by a team of Special Operations Group (SOG) of Hathras police.
"He was detained in Delhi, near Najafgarh area," said another police officer in Hathras, requesting anonymity.
However, the police are yet to officially announce the arrest of Madhukar, the 'mukhya sevadar' of the 'satsang' where the stampede occurred. He is the only accused named in the FIR lodged at Sikandra Rao police station in Hathras in connection with the incident.
In a video message, Madhukar's lawyer AP Singh claimed that his client had surrendered in Delhi, where he was undergoing treatment.
"Today we have handed over Devprakash Madhukar, who has been considered the main organizer of the FIR in the Hathras case, after calling the police, SIT and STF in Delhi as he was undergoing treatment here," Singh said.
"We had promised that we would not seek anticipatory bail as we had not committed any crime. What is our crime? He is an engineer and a heart patient. The doctors said that his condition is now stable and that is why we surrendered today to join the investigation," he said. said the lawyer.
Singh said the police can now record his statement or interrogate him, but he must take into account his health condition and ensure that "nothing bad happens to him".
"We did not do anything like file anticipatory bail or move to court, which would have been seen as an effort to save us and scare us...Questions were raised about the whereabouts of him (Madhukar) and whether he had escaped," he claimed. . .
Madhukar will join the investigation and share information about the "anti-social elements" at the event, he added.
The Uttar Pradesh police had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to Madhukar's arrest.
On July 3, the Supreme Court lawyer claimed that he also represents Surajpal alias Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba, the self-styled god at whose 'satsang' the stampede occurred, and that some "anti-social elements" were behind the tragedy. . .
Surajpal was willing to cooperate with the state administration and the police and had requested a probe into the entire matter, Singh had said.
Till Thursday, six people, including two volunteers, who were members of the Bhole Baba 'satsang' organizing committee, had been arrested in the case.
On July 2, an FIR was lodged in the matter under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 126 (2) (unfair control), 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by the public servant) and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence).
On July 3, the Uttar Pradesh government had formed a three-member judicial commission headed by a retired high court judge to probe the Hathras tragedy and examine the possibility of a conspiracy behind the stampede.
