Bhole Baba’s First Reaction After Hathras Stampede, Says ‘Left Venue Before Accident’

Godman Bhole Baba has expressed grief and condolences over the death of his followers and has wished for the speedy recovery of those injured.

New Delhi: In his first reaction to the Hathras Stampede whcih led to the death of more than 120 people, Bhole Baba, the self-styled godman for whom the Satsang was organised in Uttar Pradesh, stated that he left the accident site before the stampede occured. He expressed grief and condolences over the death of his followers and has wished for the speedy recovery of those injured in the tragic incident.

The deadly stampede in Hathras on Tuesday that claimed over 120 lives occurred at a congregation of Baba Narayan Hari alias Saakar Vishwa Hari ‘Bhole Baba’, a former policeman who turned into a religious preacher two decades ago and gained a following, especially in western Uttar Pradesh.

Who Is Self Styled Godman ‘Bhole Baba’

The real name of Bhole Baba is Surajpal. He is a native of Bahadur Nagar in Kasganj district, a retired IPS officer said. Circle Officer (CO) of Patiyali Vijay Kumar Rana told news agency PTI that Surjpal left his job as a policeman in the late 1990s and turned to spirituality. He started conducting ‘satsang’ (religious sermons).

One of Surajpal’s three brothers died and he set up a Trust and appointed a caretaker for his property in Bahadurgarh where his ashram is located, the CO said. He has no children and takes his wife along with him to ‘satsang’. Surajpal belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community. After he established his ashram in Bahadur Nagar, his fame grew rapidly among the poor and deprived sections and lakhs of people became his followers, according to locals.

A follower from Hathras said, “Baba conducts sermons and keeps his own volunteers for security who take care of the arrangements of his satsang.” The stampede, which occurred as people headed home after a ‘satsang’ in the district’s Phulrai village conducted by Bhole Baba, killed more than 120 people on Tuesday, in the worst such tragedy in recent years.

Vinod Kumar Suryavanshi, who lives in Barse village in the Sasni Tehsil of Hathras and lost his 72-year-old maternal aunt in the tragedy, said his aunt and mother have been following the Baba’s sermons for around 15 years.

(With inputs from agencies)