New Delhi:

A son’s desperate search for his mother – one of many heartbreaking stories from Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras after 123 people were killed in a stampede at a poorly-planned public meeting by ‘godman’ Bhole Baba, who preached divinity from a swank ‘ashram’ built on 13 acres of land worth Rs 4 crore.

Meenesh Kumar’s plight mirrors those of hundreds – friends and families of those who died, crushed under the feet of panicked fellow worshippers – who, hours after the tragedy, run from one hospital to another, and back again, praying, ironically, their father, mother, son, or daughter is alive.

READ | Suffocation, Chest Injuries: Agra Doctor On UP Stampede Deaths

For many those prayers will fall on deaf ears. For the rest, and a tearful Mr Kumar is hoping to be among them, relief awaits. And if he is so lucky, he told NDTV, “I will never let her to any ‘satsang’.”

Meenesh Kumar’s Story

“My mother said this ‘baba’ says good things in his ‘satsang’. I went once or twice… but she used to go to all… from Madhya Pradesh to Rajasthan, and in UP also. I told her, ‘you are too old… don’t go.’ But she did not agree. Now, if I find my mother, I will never let her go…” he told NDTV.

“I don’t know much about this baba…” he said and called on the state government – led by the Bharatiya Janata Party – to identify those whose negligence led to this disaster.

READ | “Organisers Tried To Cover Up Incident”: Yogi Adityanath

“The administration should know whose mistake this was… and they should correct it,” he said.

Meenesh Kumar lives in a village in UP’s Mainpuri district.

His mother, Ramkali Devi, 54, was among the 2.5 lakh people who trooped dutifully into a small open field in Hathras to listen to Bhole Baba, who has blamed “anti-social elements” – and not negligent organisers and aggressive private security, which includes an ‘army of women’, for this tragedy.

Ramkali Devi left her home on Monday. The ‘prayer meet’ was on Tuesday.

She has not been seen or heard since. And then, amid the gloom, there seemed to be a ray of light for Meenesh Kumar, whose search led him to the district hospital in Hathras.

READ | In Killer Stampede, One Entry, One Exit For Crowd Of 2.5 Lakh

Ramkali Devi, like you and I, and almost everyone else, has a mobile phone. Meenesh Kumar had been ringing it incessantly, hoping, almost against hope, she would eventually pick up.

And eventually a woman did… but it wasn’t his mother.

A stranger did. She said she would arrange for him to speak to his mother. Only she did not. When he called back, stranger things lay in store. “She told me my mother had gone to Agra,” he said.

“When I called again (a third time) she said, ‘Why are you troubling me?’ and switched off the phone,” a puzzled and even more worried Mr Kumar said.

“If Baba Has Powers…”

For many, even Bhole Baba’s most ardent followers, this tragedy has hit hard.

READ | Siblings, Aged 3 And 9, Among Children Killed In Stampede

Binod, a resident of Hathras, said he had shredded posters of the ‘godman’ that once adorned his home… a home that was filled with his wife, his mother, and his daughter. Today all three are dead.

“I was away, I came to know about the stampede in the evening. I rushed home to find they are all dead,” he said, breaking into tears.

READ | “If Baba Has Powers…”: Victims Mourn, Pick Up Pieces

From the many who were injured, and the families of the dead, there is one loud message to Bhole Baba… a demand, now, for proof of his divinity. “If the baba really has powers and cares about us, he should come here and heal us…” is the resounding cry to the ‘godman’ and his many crores.

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New Delhi:

A day after over 121 people were killed in a stampede in UP’s Hathras, questions are being raised over the satsang organised by self-styled guru Bhole Baba aka Narayan Saakar Hari whose congregation the victims belonged to.

Who is Bhole Baba aka Narayan Saakar Hari?

Suraj Pal Singh, known to his followers as Bhole Baba, was born in Bahadur Nagari village in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district to a farmer. He joined UP police and was a head constable working with the Intelligence Unit for over 18 years. However, his followers say he has also claimed that he worked for the Intelligence Bureau.

In 1999, he took voluntary retirement from the service, changed his name to Narayan Saakar Hari and began holding satsangs. He told his devotees he felt an inclination towards spirituality and world peace and he resigned to begin his spiritual journey.

From Suraj Pal to Narayan Saakar Hari

According to a report, he claimed to live in a hut in his village and travelled across Uttar Pradesh to preach. Narayan Hari also enjoys a large following in neighbouring states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Unlike most self-styled godmen, Narayan Hari is seen wearing a white suit and tie or a simple kurta pyjama accompanied by his wife Prem Bati. He also claims he does not keep any money offered to him by followers at his satsangs and distributes it among his followers. 

Covid Satsang Had 50,000 Attendees

Even though the self-styled godman is known to keep his distance from the media, he has been embroiled in several controversies. In 2022, he held a similar satsang in UP’s Farrukhabad even as cases of Covid’s Delta variant were on the rise. While the district administration only permitted 50 people to attend the event over 50,000 people reached the site to attend the programme. The large crowd led to the significant traffic snarls in the area.

Seeing the large crowds that turn up for his satsangs, the godman has a security team named “Narayani Sena” that consists of men and women guards who escort him from his ashram to the satsang locations.