Hathras stampede: Godman Bhole Baba goes missing, has an army of followers
Hathras Stampede: Police conducted search operations at Ram Kutir Charitable Trust of Sakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba, but he was found absconding.
The tragedy occurred during the satsang of preacher ‘Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba’, resulting in fatalities, predominantly among women and children, and leaving over 300 others injured.
Interestingly, the FIR does not mention Bhole Baba as an accused — his manager and organiser Dev Prakash Madhukar, referred to as ‘Mukhya Sewadar’, and other organisers of the religious event have been named in the FIR.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath left on Wednesday morning for Hathras where a major stampede incident took place, killing 121 persons, on Tuesday evening.
According to official sources, the Chief Minister will likely visit the incident site and meet hospital injured persons.
A police officer at the scene said that over one lakh people had gathered to attend the event.
Although the exact cause of the stampede remains unclear, reports suggest that the hot and humid conditions at the venue caused discomfort among attendees, leading to panic and a rush to exit, which resulted in the stampede.
Some attendees hurried to depart, while others moved in the opposite direction to seek blessings by touching the baba’s feet, leading to chaos.
About Bhole Baba
Sakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba, formerly known as Saurabh Kumar, had previously served in the intelligence department of Uttar Pradesh Police.
After 17 years of service, he quit his job to embark on a spiritual journey as a preacher. He is often seen giving lessons in a white suit and tie.
Sakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba organises Satsang programs with his wife and is also known as ‘Sakar Vishwa Hari Baba of Patiali‘. He used to hold his satsangs every Tuesday and before Hathras, he held a similar event in Mainpuri district last week.
While his following extends beyond Uttar Pradesh to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, and though the preacher and his acolytes maintain a distance from the media and also social media, he has a large number of followers who address themselves as ‘Baba’s army’.
According to a devotee, Bhole Baba had no religious mentor and soon after he took voluntary retirement from service, he had a ‘vision’ of the deity and since then he became inclined to spiritual pursuits.
Bhole Baba courted controversy during the COVID-19 pandemic period when he sought permission for a satsang in Farrukhabad district in May 2022 to be attended by only 50 people. However, the congregation grew to over 50,000, causing a major problem for the local administration.
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