Who is ‘Bhole Baba’, constable-turned-self-styled-preacher at the center of Hathras stampede?

Previously known as Surya Pal Singh, he is a constable-turned-spiritual-leader. He was born into a Dalit family in Uttar Pradesh.

Hyderabad: Hathras stampede, which has claimed 121 lives, has put the spotlight on constable-turned-self-styled-preacher named Bhole Baba, also known as Narayan Sakaar Hari. The stampede took place at the end of the satsang, which was organised by the self-styled godman, in Phularia village. The horrifying visuals that have emerged after the incident from Phularia and local hospitals in neighbouring districts of Etah and Aligarh have begged the question: Who exactly is Bhole Baba?

Bhole Baba, previously known as Surya Pal Singh, is a constable-turned-spiritual-leader. He was born into a Dalit family in Bahadur Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, about 65km from Phularia. Sources reported that Surya Pal Singh worked with Uttar Pradesh Intelligence Unit for close to two decades, before taking voluntary retirement in 1990 to take up a spiritual path. He adopted the name ‘Bhole Baba’ after this change.

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For the last 25 years, he has been conducting religious congregations in North Indian states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan. He has successfully racked up a considerable following among the poor and lower middle class in western UP and parts of Rajasthan and Haryana. Many of his fervent followers claim that he has the power to cease his devotees’ sufferings. This belief amongst his followers could be seen in Phularia as well, as over 2 lakh people, a figure way higher than what should have been allowed, attended his satsang. Eyewitnesses reported that the stampede was a result of people rushing to collect soil around the Baba’s feet, as they considered it to be holy.

Hathras satsang is not the first congregation of the Baba that has witnessed a massive crowd. Back in May 2022, when the nation was struggling with the COVID-19 crisis, Bhole Baba sought government’s approval to conduct a satsang in Farrukhabad district, Uttar Pradesh. Close to 50,000 devotees attended the event, when the maximum permissible number of people for social gatherings due to COVID-19 was 50.

Indian Express reported that Bhole Baba has a wife, named Matashree, who usually accompanies him in his religious congregations. The couple live in Rajasthan.

Following the stampede, the police lodged a case against an aide of the baba and the organisers of the religious congregation, but not the spiritual leader himself, who fled in his car when the shocking incident took place.

Meanwhile, the whereabouts of the Baba are not known. While there are reports of him being at large, some claim that he is at his ashram in Mainpuri, UP.