Hathras case: Testimony of key witness completed, next hearing on Jan 22

A local court on Friday completed the testimony of a key prosecution witness in the 2024 Hathras stampede case in which 121 people were killed, and fixed January 22 as the next date of hearing, a defence lawyer said.

The hearing took place in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Mahendra Srivastava, where the chief examination and cross-examination of Narendra Singh, a head constable associated with the Local Intelligence Unit (LIU), were concluded, counsel for the accused Munna Singh Pundir said.

The case relates to the stampede that occurred on July 2, 2024, during a religious congregation (satsang) of Surajpal alias Narayan Sakar Hari, also known as ‘Bhole Baba’, between Mughalgarhi and Phulrai villages under the Sikandrarao police station area. The incident claimed 121 lives, most of them women and children, and left several others injured.

Police had filed a chargesheet following an investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), naming 11 accused, including Baba’s aide Devprakash Madhukar, and held them responsible for the incident. All the accused have been granted bail, Pundhir said.

The trial is underway after completion of hearings on the chargesheet, which runs into over 3,200 pages. Evidence recording and trial proceedings are currently in progress, officials said.