Hathras stampede: Who is ‘Bhole Baba’, organiser of ‘satsang’ | India News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: In a horrifying incident, over 50 people were killed after a stampede broke out during a ‘satsang‘ (religious prayer meeting) in Uttar Pradesh‘s Hathras.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has taken note of the incident and formed a committee to investigate the incident.
The satsang was reportedly being held by Sakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba, formerly known as Saurabh Kumar.According to Navbharat Times report, the baba had previously served in the intelligence department of Uttar Pradesh Police.
After 17 years of service, he quit his job to embark on spiritual journey as a preacher. He is often seen giving lessons in white suit and tie.
He organises satsang programs with his wife and is also known as ‘Sakar Vishwa Hari Baba of Patiali’. Hundreds of people usually attend his events.
While his following extends beyond UP to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, both the preacher and his acolytes maintain a distance from the media.
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. He used to hold his ‘satsangs’ every Tuesday and before Hathras, he held a similar event in Mainpuri district last week.
He courted controversy during the Covid 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 headache for the local administration.
As per reports, the stampede in the Hathras event on Tuesday broke out as servitors of Bhole Baba stopped people from leaving the venue amid the heat and humidity, so that the preacher and his retinue could leave first. As permission was given to people to leave, chaos broke out, leading to the stampede.
Victims, dead or unconscious, were brought to the Sikandara Rao Trauma Centre in trucks and other vehicles. The bodies were laid outside the health centre as people milled around them.
One video clip showed a woman crying, sitting among five or six bodies in a truck. Another picture showed a man and a woman lying lifeless in another vehicle.
Eyewitness Shakuntala Devi told PTI Videos that the stampede took place while people were leaving the venue at the end of the ‘satsang’. They fell atop each other, she said.
The stampede apparently occurred due to overcrowding, Sikandra Rao police station SHO Ashish Kumar said.
According to officials, a team comprising the Agra additional director general of police and the divisional commissioner of Aligarh will probe the incident.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the stampede and instructed officials to reach the accident site and carry out relief measures. He announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh ex gratia for the families of the dead and Rs 50,000 each for the injured.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has taken note of the incident and formed a committee to investigate the incident.
The satsang was reportedly being held by Sakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba, formerly known as Saurabh Kumar.According to Navbharat Times report, the baba had previously served in the intelligence department of Uttar Pradesh Police.
After 17 years of service, he quit his job to embark on spiritual journey as a preacher. He is often seen giving lessons in white suit and tie.
He organises satsang programs with his wife and is also known as ‘Sakar Vishwa Hari Baba of Patiali’. Hundreds of people usually attend his events.
While his following extends beyond UP to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, both the preacher and his acolytes maintain a distance from the media.
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. He used to hold his ‘satsangs’ every Tuesday and before Hathras, he held a similar event in Mainpuri district last week.
He courted controversy during the Covid 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 headache for the local administration.
As per reports, the stampede in the Hathras event on Tuesday broke out as servitors of Bhole Baba stopped people from leaving the venue amid the heat and humidity, so that the preacher and his retinue could leave first. As permission was given to people to leave, chaos broke out, leading to the stampede.
Victims, dead or unconscious, were brought to the Sikandara Rao Trauma Centre in trucks and other vehicles. The bodies were laid outside the health centre as people milled around them.
One video clip showed a woman crying, sitting among five or six bodies in a truck. Another picture showed a man and a woman lying lifeless in another vehicle.
Eyewitness Shakuntala Devi told PTI Videos that the stampede took place while people were leaving the venue at the end of the ‘satsang’. They fell atop each other, she said.
The stampede apparently occurred due to overcrowding, Sikandra Rao police station SHO Ashish Kumar said.
According to officials, a team comprising the Agra additional director general of police and the divisional commissioner of Aligarh will probe the incident.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the stampede and instructed officials to reach the accident site and carry out relief measures. He announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh ex gratia for the families of the dead and Rs 50,000 each for the injured.
