The Uttar Pradesh Police filed an FIR against the organisers of the 'satsang' in Hathras where as many as 121 people were killed in a stampede, accusing them of hiding evidence and holding the event for a gathering of 2.5 lakh people at a location where only 80,000 people were permitted.
However, curiously, the FIR did not name the conductor of the event, spiritual guru Jagat Guru Sakar Vishwa Hari alias Bhole Baba.
The FIR alleged that the organisers of the event failed to divulge the actual number of people attending the 'satsang' while seeking permission to hold it, did not cooperate in traffic management and tried to hide evidence after the stampede.
The FIR appears to have given a clean chit to the police and administration, saying they did whatever possible from the available resources.
Who is 'Bhole Baba'
Baba Narayan Hari alias Sakar Vishwa Hari 'Bhole Baba', is a former policeman who turned into a religious preacher.
The real name of Bhole Baba is Surajpal. He hails from Bahadur Nagar in Kasganj district of Uttar Pradesh.
Surjpal left his job as a policeman in the late 1990s and became a religious preacher and started holding 'satsang', according to news agency PTI.
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Eventually, he managed to find a large following, especially in especially in western Uttar Pradesh. His influence is apparent from the fact that the stampede occurred when the devotees tried to run behind his vehicle.
"Overcrowding is one of the reasons (behind the stampede). There was a race among people who were running after his (Bhole Baba's) vehicle. It has also been learnt that people collect soil from there (the path where the baba walked) and worship it. As a result, people started bending down and fell," Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh told PTI.
One of Surajpal's three brothers died and he set up a Trust and appointed a caretaker for his property in Bahadurgarh where his ashram is located. His wife appears with him for the satsangs that he holds. The couple have no children.
A person from Hathras was quoted as saying, "Baba conducts sermons and keeps his own volunteers for security who take care of the arrangements of his satsang."
