Hathras stampede: Who is Bhole Baba, the preacher who led the congregation?

Bhole Baba, who is only seen in public in white clothes, had worked with the UP police for 18 years before quitting his job and opting for a new role

Bhole Baba, the religious preacher who led the religious congregation at Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras where a stampede killed at least 107 people on Tuesday, had worked with the state police for 18 years before quitting his job and opting for a new role.

Bhole Baba is often accompanied by his wife at sermons.

People familiar with the matter said that after quitting the UP police’s local intelligence unit, Baba, who hails from a village in Kasganj district of Aligarh division, started giving sermons and organising ‘satsang’ for them. The popularity of Baba, who loves to be addressed as ‘Narain Sakaar Hari’, grew with time and he attracted thousands of followers.

Baba, who is more popular as ‘Sakar Vishwa Hari Baba’, is only seen in public in white clothes and is often accompanied by his wife at sermons.

His followers are mostly people from the lower economic strata, belonging to Agra and Aligarh division of Braj region.

Believed not to be a follower of any ‘guru’, Baba claims to have been preached directly from the Almighty. It is said that he has more than three lakh followers on Facebook. Various MPs and MLA are believed to have attended his ‘satsang’, which are mostly organised on Tuesdays.

Despite his popularity, media was kept away from the ‘satsang’ and no personal details about Baba, seemingly in his fifties, are publicised.

Baba’s men, wearing pinkish shirts and pants and white caps could be seen managing the traffic and internal arrangements at his congregations.

Initial reports suggested that the stampede on Tuesday started soon after his women devotees rushed out of the venue after the ‘satsang’ ended in the afternoon.

Inspector general Aligarh Range Shalabh Mathur said prima facie, it appeared that some people felt suffocated at the premises because of the hot and humid weather and when the ‘satsang’ ended, those inside the enclosure rushed out resulting in a stampede killing mostly the women and children.

Jyoti, a teenager admitted to the district hospital in neighbouring Etah, said everyone wanted to get out of the enclosure in a hurry. “There was no other way out and people fell on each other leading to the stampede,” she said.

Jyoti recalled how she tried to exit the venue, but motorcycles parked outside blocked her way “Many people fainted… others died,” Jyoti, who was brought to the hospital along with her mother, added.

Mathur said the religious preacher had sought permission to hold the congregation which was given.