Following the Hathras stampede, the name “Bhole Baba” has frequently surfaced. Bhole Baba, also known as Narayan Saakar Hari, is a self-styled godman and religious preacher who organized a Satsang in Hathras on Tuesday, where the stampede occurred, resulting in the deaths of 121 people.
Bhole Baba, whose original name is Suraj Pal Singh, was born in Bahadur Nagari village in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district. He worked with the UP Police as a head constable for 18 years before becoming a religious preacher. As per his claims, he had worked with the Intelligence Bureau.
His followers confirmed that after quitting his job in 1999, he changed his name to Narayan Saakar Hari and over time, gained a cult following. His popularity primarily grew in and around the regions of Uttar Pradesh.
Controversies Surrounding Bhole Baba
Unlike the other gurus and preachers, Baba has a different style. He is always dressed in whites, sometimes in a white shirt and tie and sometimes a white kurta and is usually accompanied by his wife.
He claims to live in a hut in his village and wander around Uttar Pradesh to preach. Narayan Hari also has a large number of followers in neighbouring states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
He also asserts that he never keeps any money offered by his followers at his satsangs; instead, he distributes it among them.
Baba, better known as ‘Sakar Vishwa Hari Baba,’ claims to have received direct teachings from the Almighty. He has more than three lakh followers on Facebook. His sat-sangs are mostly organised on Tuesdays.
Baba usually avoids media attention, but he has been involved in several controversies. In 2022, amidst rising cases of the Delta variant of Covid-19, he organized a similar satsang. Despite permission for only 50 attendees, the event drew around 50,000 people.
The godman is protected by a security team named “Narayani Sena” comprising both men and women guards who escort him from his ashram to the Satsang locations.
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