Page 51 - Uttar Pradesh

Poisonous substance released in crowd led to stampede: Bhole Baba's lawyer

Self-styled godman Bhole Baba's lawyer AP Singh alleged on Sunday that witnesses told him some people opened cans containing a poisonous substance in the crowd during the July 2 Hathras 'satsang', triggering the stampede. Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Singh also alleged a conspiracy, which he attributed to Bhole Baba's "rising popularity", behind the stampede. The stampede after the 'satsang' of self-styled godman Surajpal alias Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras left 121 people, mostly women, dead. "Witnesses have reached out to me and said there were 15-16 people carrying cans of a poisonous substance that they opened in the crowd. I have seen post-mortem reports of those killed and it showed that they died of asphyxiation and not because of injuries," Singh claimed. Alleging a conspiracy behind the stampede, he said, "There were vehicles parked at the site to help the men escape. We have proof and we will submit it. This is the first time I

Hathras stampede: Rahul seeks more compensation for victims' kin from UP CM

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to increase the amount of compensation for the victims of the Hathras stampede and demanded that those responsible for the incident be given severe punishment. In a letter to Adityanath, the former Congress chief said the compensation should be given as soon as possible and the injured be given proper treatment. A total of 121 people, mostly women, died in the stampede at self-styled godman Baba Bhole's 'satsang' in Hathras on Tuesday. Gandhi had met the victims of the stampede in Hathras here on Friday morning. Adityanath earlier announced that the families of the deceased would receive Rs 2 lakh each and the injured would receive Rs 50,000 each in compensation. In his letter to Adityanath dated July 6, Gandhi said, "The compensation announced by the Uttar Pradesh government is very inadequate. I urge that the amount of compensation be increased and it should be given as soon

Hathras stampede: Judicial probe panel meets with locals, witnesses

The Uttar Pradesh government's judicial commission team probing the July 2 stampede interacted on Sunday with local people in Hathras, besides officials and witnesses of the tragedy that claimed 121 lives. The three-member team formed under the chairmanship of retired Allahabad High Court judge Brijesh Kumar Shrivastava comprises former IAS officer Hemant Rao and former IPS officer Bhavesh Kumar. It reached Hathras on Saturday and visited the stampede site near Phulrai village along the National Highway 91. On Sunday morning, the team camped at the PWD Guest House along the Aligarh Road in the district and continued the inquiry. "We have been mandated to file our inquiry report within two months," Shrivastava told reporters on Saturday after reviewing the incident site. Hathras District Magistrate Ashish Kumar and Superintendent of Police Nipun Agarwal accompanied the team. So far, nine people, including key accused Devprakash Madhukar, have been arrested in connection with the ...

Armstrong murder: Mayawati says real culprits not held, demands CBI probe

BSP supremo Mayawati on Sunday demanded a CBI probe into the death of her party's slain Tamil Nadu president K Armstrong, who was hacked to death here on Friday. She claimed those who have been arrested so far were not the real culprits and urged Chief Minister M K Stalin to refer the probe to the Central agency to ensure justice to the victim. Mayawati, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, paid homage to Armstrong here and placed a wreath before the body of the 52-year-old leader at a private school in Perambur in the city. Expressing anguish over Armstrong's death, she also said the way he was killed, by a group of assailants late in the evening, showed "there was nothing called law and order" in the state. CM Stalin must ensure justice for Armstrong and transfer the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation. "The way he was killed, shows there is nothing called law and order in Tamil Nadu. Those who have killed him, the real culprits have not been nabbed," she said. "The

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UP govt to monitor Kanwar Yatra with helicopter, to shower flowers

The state government will monitor the upcoming Kanwar Yatra with a helicopter and also shower flowers on kanwariyas, an official statement issued here said on Saturday. According to the statement, Chief Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh government Manoj Kumar Singh and Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar convened a review meeting ahead of the yatra with officials of different states in Meerut Divisional Commissioner Auditorium. The meeting was attended by senior police and administrative officials of Meerut, Saharanpur, Aligarh and Moradabad divisions along with officials from Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan. During the month on Sawan, which begins from July 22, people from Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan walk to Rishikesh and Haridwar in Uttarakhand to collect water from the Ganga river and bring it back to be offered in Shiva temples. In the review meeting, the chief secretary said that the entire yatra will be monitored by a helicopter and flowers will be shower

Hathras stampede: Main accused Devprakash Madhukar sent to 14-day jail

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

Main accused in Hathras stampede arrested; police link to political parties

Devprakash Madhukar, the main accused in the July 2 Hathras stampede that killed 121 people, was arrested from Delhi's Najafgarh area by a Special Operations Group of Hathras police, officials said on Saturday. Madhukar, who was arrested late night on Friday, was contacted by some political parties recently, Hathras Superintendent of Police Nipun Agarwal said. Agarwal said Madhukar worked as a fundraiser for events of self-styled godman Surajpal alias Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba and collected donations. The police will apply for remand of Madhukar, he said. "His financial transactions, money trails are being looked into, and call detail records also being checked," Agarwal added. However, on Friday night, Madhukar's lawyer A P Singh had claimed he had surrendered to the police in Delhi, where he had come for medical treatment. Around 2.15 pm on Saturday, Madhukar was brought by the police to the Bagla Combined District Hospital in Hathras for a medical examination amid hea

Hathras stampede: Mayawati seeks action, warns against following 'babas'

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday demanded strict action against Bhole Baba and others for the July 2 Hathras stampede that claimed 121 lives. Addressing the poor, Dalit and the oppressed, the BSP chief, in a post on X, urged them not to be misled by preachers like Bhole Baba. "The poor, Dalits and the oppressed in the country should not worsen their misery and pain by getting misled by the superstitions and hypocrisy of many such babas like Bhole Baba of Hathras to get rid of their poverty and all other problems," she said in a post in Hindi on X. "Instead, they should follow the paths shown by Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, take power into their own hands, and change their destiny themselves. This means they must join their own party, the BSP. Only then can they avoid tragedies like the Hathras incident," Mayawati said in the post. In another post on X, she said that strict action should be taken against Baba Bhole and others who are found guilty in the Hathra

Hathras stampede: Main accused fled to Delhi after incident, now in custody

Devprakash Madhukar, the main accused in the July 2 Hathras stampede that claimed 121 lives, had fled to Delhi after the deadly episode before Uttar Pradesh Police got him into its custody late last night, officials said. Madhukar's lawyer A P Singh late Friday night claimed his client had surrendered to the police in Delhi. A police official told PTI that Madhukar was picked up by a Special Operations Group (SOG) team of Hathras police. "He was taken into custody from Delhi, near Najafgarh area," another police officer in Hathras said, requesting anonymity. However, 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 A P Singh claimed that his client had surrendered in Delhi, where he was undergoing treatment. "Today, we have surrendered Devpraka

Hathras stampede: 'Those responsible will not be spared', says Bhole Baba

Surajpal Singh, also known as 'Bhole Baba', said he has asked his committee to extend help to those who were injured in the Hathras stampede

Hathras stampede: Main suspect Madhukar surrenders, says Advocate AP Singh

Union Minister Nityanand Rai on Friday said the Central government has extended cooperation to the Uttar Pradesh government in the investigation into the stampede in Hathras

WATCH: Fire erupts at Noida's popular Logix mall, scary videos emerge

A video from inside the mall shows smoke billowing everywhere, with some employees of private establishments still inside

Congress postpones programme to felicitate new Lok Sabha MPs from UP

Congress postponed its programme to felicitate the newly-elected Lok Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh that was scheduled for Friday. UP Congress chief Ajay Rai told PTI that the programme has been postponed but did not give any reason for the postponement. Party sources, however, said that they did not want the programme to be held in Lucknow on the day senior party leader Rahul Gandhi visited Aligarh and Hathras to meet the family members of the stampede that killed 121 people. The Congress, which had contested the recently-concluded Lok Sabha election with the Samajwadi Party, has won six seats from UP, which sends 80 MPs to the Lower House -- the highest for any state. Rai said that a fresh date for the programme will be decided soon. All party candidates who had contested the elections will be called for the programme, he said. Rahul Gandhi, who won the Lok Sabha elections from Rae Bareli seat, had earlier this morning visited the families of the stampede in Aligarh and ...

UP sets new record, 98.70% case disposal rate for crimes against women

Uttar Pradesh also has the second-lowest percentage of pending investigations beyond two months, at just 0.10 per cent

Hathras stampede: Hunt for key accused launched, inter-state searches on

While Madhukar, the 'mukhya sevadar' (chief organiser of the satsang), is the only named accused in the FIR, Surajpal was not mentioned as accused

From 24 ashrams to luxury cars, Bhole Baba possesses Rs 100 crore in assets

Preacher 'Bhole Baba', identified as Suraj Pal, resides in the Mainpuri Ashram in Bichuva, an extensive property covering 21 bighas of land, known as Hari Nagar

Hathras stampede updates: Rahul Gandhi visits Aligarh; Bhole Baba missing

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met with the families of the victims who lost their lives during a stampede at a satsang event held by Saakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba in UP's Hathras on Tuesday

Rahul Gandhi leaves for Hathras to meet stampede-affected families today

An FIR has been registered on the incident naming organizers of the prayer meeting but 'Bhole Baba' has not been named yet

6 held in connection with Hathras stampede which claimed 121 lives: Police

The organisers of the event had taken permission for a gathering of only 80,000 people, an initial police report said