Hathras stampede: House of key accused locked, neighbours in ‘disbelief’ about role in organising satsang

Madhukar has been named as the main accused along with other sewadars. At the main gate of his three-storey house, located in a Jatav-dominated area, a square-shaped picture of ‘Bhole Baba’ is installed at the top. The house remained locked on Wednesday. Neighbours said Madhukar’s family – his wife and two children – has left the village. The houses of his associates were also found locked in the area.

Grieving relatives of victims in Hathras on Wednesday. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)

While expressing shock over the incident, Madhukar’s neighbours said they were aware of his association with the preacher but had no idea that he was associated with organising such a large congregation.

“Though I knew that he was associated with Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari, but I didn’t know that he was among the main Sewadars who were given the task to organise such a big congregation,” said 54-year-old Ramdas Gautam, who runs a kirana store in New Colony.

“There are around 60%of people in the area who are the followers of that baba. They have created a network at the local level and organise and share the details of upcoming programs among their group members. They seem to me as hardened believers. They also asked me to join the group, but I declined,” said Jitendra Gautam, a resident of the village. Apart from Madhukar, other organisers were Mahesh Chandra, a resident of Kheria Khurd; Anar Singh, a principal from Krishna Vihar Colony; Sanju Yadav; teachers Chandradev and Ramprakash.

At the cremation of a victim of the stampede in Hathras on Wednesday. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)

The Indian Express tried to contact all the organisers, but their cellphones were switched off.

The FIR against Madhukar and other unidentified sewadars has been lodged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110, 126(2) [wrongfully restrains], 223 and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence or giving false information to screen offender).

113 of 121 dead are women

Out of total killed in the stampede, 113 are women, 5 boys, a girl and two men. 22 are from Hathras, 6 from Badaun, 1 from Lalitpur, 8 from Kasganj, 15 from Aligarh, 5 from Shahjahanpur, 17 from Agra, 8 from Firozabad, 9 from Gautam Buddha Nagar, 10 from Etah, 11 from Mathura, 12 from Auraiya, 13 from Bulandshahr, 14 from Pilibhit, 15 from Sambhal, 16 from Lakhimpur Kheri, 17 from Unnao.

Six of the deceased are from neighbouring states– Madhya Pradesh (1), Haryana (4) and Rajasthan (1). There are 31 injured undergoing treatment in different hospitals. ENS