Hathras stampede: 6 sevadars held

Hathras (UP): The Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday said they have arrested six ‘sevadars’, including two women, of the organising committee in connection with the Hathras stampede that killed 121 people. The only accused named in the FIR is at large while preacher Surajpal, who is also known as Narayan Sakar Hari and Bhole Baba, will be questioned if required during investigation, a senior officer said.

“All six persons who have been arrested worked are ‘sevadars’ (volunteers) at the ‘satsang’,” Inspector General of Police (Aligarh Range) Shalabh Mathur told reporters here. “A reward of Rs 1 lakh will be announced soon and non-bailable warrant (NBW) will also be issued against key accused Devprakash Madhukar,” Mathur said.

The preacher, Surajpal, was not mentioned as an accused in the FIR lodged at the local Sikandra Rau police station on Tuesday after the stampede at Phulrai village that left 121 people dead in its wake. Those arrested have been identified by the police as Ram Ladaite (50), Upendra ingh Yadav (62), Megh Singh (61), Mukesh Kumar (38), and women Manju Yadav (30) and Manju Devi (40). Ram Ladaite is a native of Mainpuri district while Upendra Singh Yadav is from Manipuri and the rest are local residents of Hathras.