What happened in Hathras? All you need to know about Bhole Baba, stampede

The Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday lodged the FIR against the organisers of the religious congregation in Hathras.

A day after 121 people died in the stampede in Bhole Baba's satsang in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district, the Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday failed to name the preacher in their FIR. Since the incident on Tuesday, the preacher has maintained a low profile, with the police saying he hadn't turned up at his sprawling ashram in Mainpuri.

Hathras: Relatives mourn at the residence of three members of their family who died in the recent stampede at the 'satsang' of Baba Narayan Hari.(PTI file photo)

Bhole Baba is also known as Baba Narayan Hari and Saakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba. He quit the police department over two decades ago and became a religious preacher. He presides over several ashrams. The biggest among them is his ashram in Mainpuri.

The police on Wednesday beefed up the security around his Mainpuri ashram. However, they claimed the self-styled godman wasn't inside the premises.

Bhole Baba, in his sermons, equated himself with God.

"I go to temples, gurdwara, mosques and churches. I reach wherever I am called from. And if I am not called, I don't go," he says in one of the videos of his sermons, per PTI.

According to a preliminary report, the stampede took place after the godman's security detail pushed his followers as they tried to collect the dirt around his feet. The slippery slope exacerbated the situation.

His two upcoming congregations have been cancelled by the authorities.

He is a native of Bahadurnagar village in Kasganj district. He is 60 years old and doesn't have any children.

Villagers claim the baba never asked for donations. His ashrams were built with voluntary donations.

The Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday lodged the FIR against the organisers of the religious congregation in Hathras, accusing them of hiding evidence. Per the FIR, the organisers had secured permission for 80000 followers but 2.5 lakh turned up.

They have booked Devprakash Madhukar and other organisers.

The complainant claimed that the satsang triggered a traffic jam on the GT road.

Bhole Baba came to the venue at 2 pm on Tuesday. His followers bent to take the mud from his feet. Those running out from the spot were stopped by stick-wielding helpers of the baba, it said.

His lawyer, AP Singh, said that the stampede took place because of a conspiracy by some anti-social elements. "Some anti-social elements hatched a conspiracy. When Narayan Saakar Hari left the venue, his vehicles left, and our volunteers and followers failed to understand what was happening due to the conspiracy. This was done as per a plan and should be investigated," he said.

He said the preacher never allowed his followers to touch his feet. He also refuted the claim that people were scrambling to collect mud from around his feet.

With inputs from PTI