Revision as of 13:34, 14 July 2024

A brief biography

The baba and his army

Deepak Lavania, July 5, 2024: The Times of India

Bhole Baba: a profile
From: Deepak Lavania, July 5, 2024: The Times of India

Hathras : It's difficult to explain Surajpal Singh. Neither the man nor his ideology. Movie star meets activist would be close. That penchant for spotless white shirts and pants, that urgent call for Dalit upliftment and acceptance. The ’70s sartorial mixing oddly with a don-like fancy to be surrounded by three tiers of bodyguards — clad in pink, brown and black. 
But by the time the boy born to Jatav parents in Bahadur Nagari village of Kasganj district sometime in the mid-1960s metamorphosed into Sakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba, the legions of followers had no problem understanding what he stood for or preached, latching on to every word he uttered, every senten- ce he spoke to articulate his own unique interpretation of religion and holy scriptures.
 The man now at the centre of the stampede in Hathras that has so far taken 121 lives spent his boyhood working in the fields, learning rustic rhythms of the countryside from his father, a small farmer. His mother, a woman of deep faith, introduced him to the world of spirituality, planting in him the seeds of his future transformation. 
Bhole Baba understood instinctively the struggles and aspirations of his mostly SC/ ST admirers, using that advantage to position himself as their spiritual guide and saviour. His speeches revolved around social justice and empowerment. It resonated deeply with his congregation.

Baba created pvt army that secured him, enhanced clout

Popularas Bhole Baba in parts of UP, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the godman’s life took a significant turn when he joined UP Police as constable. For over 18 years, he served in various districts of UP, with a stint in the intelligence unit. That period offered him profound insights into societal workings and human psychology — knowledge that would later prove instrumental in his avatar as Bhole Baba.


Zaffar Ali, the husband of Bahadur Nagar village pradhan Najis Khanam, said, “Bhole Baba has no children, and his wife is known as Matashree. His younger brother Ram Prasad died some years ago. The other sibling, Rakesh, continues to till the fields.” Ali added that Bhole Baba built an ashram on a 30-bigha land in the Kasganj village, attracting people from various districts and states who sought his blessings. Five years ago, though, the preacher suddenly left the village. He suspected a conspiracy was brewing against him.


A Hathras-based businessman, who has for long been donating to Bhole Baba’s satsangs, said, “He isn’t very imposing or anything. He stands at about 5 feet 7 inches. Yes, he maintains high standards of hygiene and doesn’t allow people to touch him. Educated till Class 12, he speaks chaste English, is an avid reader, and has a fondness for cars and perfumes. Baba takes great care of his diet and exercises regularly. Through his connections, Baba helped me in my business of asafoetida.”


In 2000, when Bhole Baba took voluntary retirement as head constable with Uttar Pradesh Police, it immediately saw him encounter the other end of law. That March in Agra, he and a few others were charged with something startling: the claim to possess powers that could r esurrect a dead teenage girl. It caused a commotion at the cremation ground. Police lat- er closed the case due to lack of evidence.


Slowly, there was remodelling of his persona at multiple levels. He kept his hair long and swathed himself in long robes, looking more like the traditional spiritual leader that he aspired to be. He chose a fascinating fusion of the old and the modern, often juxtaposing a white suit and tie with pajama. Bhole Baba kept his wife by his side, a quiet yet potent presence that many said provided to his followers a sense of familial warmth and rootedness.


As his worshippers grew, so did his whims. Bhole Baba cultivated a private army of fiercely loyal followers ready to defend him at great cost to themselves. The Narayani S ena, the Garud Yodha, and the Hari Vahak guarded him round the clock. The Garud Yodha, also referred to as “black commandos” by the lo- cals, wore black, the Hari Vahak brown with unique caps, and those in the Narayani Sena were clad in pink.


This army not only provided Bhole Baba with security but also helped him establish and maintain a mighty influence over his “community”, particularly among the Dalits, a significant portion of his disciples.


Ram Sanai, a 65-year-old who was present at the ill-fated satsang on Tuesday, said that a large part of Bhole Baba’s appeal came from his admonitions against excessive alcohol consumption and advice for women facing domestic violence. His wider message was one of humanity — a poster announcing the satsang, for instance, talked about “unity in diversity”, eradication of discrimination and, of course, the need to believe in the power of Narayan Sarkar, another nomenclature that he bestowed upon himself.


Rakesh Babu from Aligarh, who was also in Hathras for Bhole Baba’s event, said, “He gives confidence to us. He talks of equality and empo- werment. He advocates education. He even got my daughter admitted to a private school. He condemns caste-based discrimination and teaches universal brotherhood. Baba helped us during the Covid-19 pandemic when we didn’t have food to eat.”


Something else had also happened during that time which Babu doesn’t reveal. In May 2021, during the deadly second wave, Bhole Baba organised a meeting in Farrukhabad. Defying the district administration’s permission for only 50 people, more than 50,000 a ttended, r esulting in an FIR against the organisers.


Bhole Baba’s past was not untouched by controversy. He has allegedly been involved in several crimes, from fraud to land grabbing and sexual assault. However, he has managed to evade charges, thanks to what many say is his “political influence”.


In Kanpur, Ghatampur ACP Ranjit Kumar said police are investigating allegations that his organisation, ‘Sakar Vishwa Hari Charitable Trust’, has encroached on seven bighas of land in Karsui village. “We are probing the matter to gather more details,” he said.


Bhole Baba’s political power, many say, was “seeded” in 2007 when Mayawatiled BSP assumed office in UP. He had close connections with several senior politicians across party lines and was often seen sharing the stage with them during public events. His followers formed a significant vote bank, the ashrams in various parts of UP a testament to his power. It was in one of these ashrams on a 60-bigha plot in Bichwa Mainpuri that the man solemnised the wedding of an IAS officer two years ago.


At his Kasganj ashram, there is a handpump he has installed which is believed to sprout ‘amrit’ and cleanse one’s soul. But it is Bhole Baba’s once-immaculate white clothes that now seem a little stained — with blood. His p osters and banners, once a beacon of hope and guidance, are now smeared with black ink.

The 2000 ‘resurrection’ case

Manish Sahu, July 3, 2024: The Indian Express

Before he came to be known as Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari or Bhole Baba – a self-styled preacher –  the former UP constable Suraj Pal, along with his wife Premvati and four others, was booked for allegedly claiming to possess “magical powers” to “resurrect” a teenaged girl who died in Agra in 2000, police said on Wednesday. At the time, Suraj Pal was living in Kedar Nagar in the Shahganj area of Agra, officers said.

Tejveer Singh, who was the station house officer of Shahgan thenj, told The Indian Express on Wednesday that the case dates back to March 2000, when a 16-year-old local girl died of natural causes.

“Suraj Pal, along with over 200 people, reached the cremation ground where the body was taken by her family for the last rites. Suraj Pal and others stopped the family from performing the last rites and tried to convince them that he could resurrect her,” said Tejveer Singh.

According to police station records, the case was registered on March 18, 2000.  Singh claimed that the accused forcibly took the body and placed it at a spot on the cremation ground. A few people who were with the family members of the girl raised an objection and one of them informed the police.

“When we reached the spot, Suraj Pal and his supporters argued with us. Suraj Pal claimed he could resurrect the girl. His supporters then started pelting stones at the police team. Additional police personnel were called in and the situation was brought under control. We arrested Suraj Pal and the others involved,” claimed Singh, who was later promoted to Deputy Superintendent of Police and retired from the police force in 2019.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Agra, Suraj Kumar Rai, said the police also filed a chargesheet against the accused. Later, further investigation was conducted after new evidence emerged. “On the basis of evidence collected during the further investigation, a closure report was filed in the case,” added Rai.

According to police station records, the closure report was filed on December 2, 2000. Suraj Pal, who hails from a Dalit family in Kasganj, served in the police force for nearly a decade before leaving the job. It is yet to be ascertained whether he was dismissed or took voluntary retirement.

The 2024 stampede

Neetika Jha, Manish Sahu, July 4, 2024: The Indian Express

Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari or ‘Bhole Baba’, the local preacher who addressed the ‘satsang’ in Hathras where the stampede occurred— the toll rose to 121— is revered by his followers who believe he’s a “healer” with “cures”, an “exorcist” who “gets rid of evil spirits”, and a “godman” with “magical powers” who can grant their wishes.

Over more than two decades now, after leaving the Uttar Pradesh Police in the 1990s where he was Constable Suraj Pal from Kasganj, to become a self-styled religious preacher, he has gathered a considerable following — mostly low-income Dalit families, where the men are employed as labourers, masons, agricultural labourers, safai karmacharis, carpenters or carpet-sellers, many of whom were witness to his rising popularity.

Many said what drew them to ‘Bhole Baba’, also from a Dalit family, was that he did not seek any offerings. “Baba does not take or ask for anything. In his satsang, he would tell us not to lie, and not to consume meat, fish, egg and alcohol,” said Urmila Devi, who had accompanied her sister, Taramati, to the satsang.

Taramati, a widow, is among those injured. The two sisters are residents of Mathura. This was the fourth time Taramati was attending a satsang addressed by ‘Bhole Baba’, and she had asked her sister to join this time.

Like the two sisters, most of the women devotees are in the 40-70 years age group. “As the satsang was getting over, Bhole Baba said, ‘aaj pralay aayegi, aur phir pralay aa gayee (today is doomsday, and he was right),” said Taramati from her hospital bed.

According to residents of Donkeli village in Hathras district, ‘Bhole Baba’ has 10 to 12 sevadars (main followers) in every village. “They come and inform people in the village about the satsang, and ferry them to the venue in cars and buses,” said a villager. Many of his followers wear a yellow locket with his photo around their necks.

The authorities have said that a scramble among devotees to collect the dust from the preacher’s feet was among the causes of the stampede. Vivek Thakur, an auto-rickshaw driver from the village, said his devotees believe that “if you apply the dust from his feet on your body or head, it will heal all ailments”.

In Sokhana village of Hathras, from where four persons died in the stampede, residents said ‘Bhole Baba’ would routinely perform exorcisms, mostly on young girls. “At the satsang yesterday, there were more than 100 people who were possessed, and he cured them all,” claimed a villager who did not want to be named.

“He would ask followers to perform good deeds so that they would be rewarded with a better life in their next birth. He told us that if we followed the path of good, we would be born into better circumstances in our next life,” said some women in Damadpura in Sikandrarao.

“When I got married in 2001, he was not as famous, but his popularity increased over time. If you attend his satsangs more than seven times, you can become a sevadar. The sevaders have a special dress. Women wear pink saris and men also wear a pink uniform,” said another devotee.

Meanwhile, a retired police officer, Tejveer Singh, who was then the Station House Officer of Shahganj, Agra, recalled the arrest of the preacher in March 2000. “Suraj Pal, along with 200-250 people, arrived at the cremation ground where the body of a 16-year-old girl had been brought by her family. Suraj Pal and the others stopped the family from performing the last rites, and tried to convince them that he could resurrect her,” he said.

According to police station records, the girl, Sneh Lata, was the daughter of a local resident. The case was lodged on March 18, 2000.

Singh said the accused forcibly took the body from the family. Meanwhile, the police were informed. “When we reached the spot, Suraj Pal and his supporters argued with us. He claimed that he could resurrect the girl. His supporters then started pelting stones at the police team. Additional police personnel were called in, and the situation was brought under control. We arrested Suraj Pal and the others involved,” said Singh, who retired as Deputy Superintendent of Police in 2019.

A case was lodged at the Shahganj police station against six persons, including Suraj Pal, his wife and four others (two of whom were women) under IPC Section 109 (punishment of abetment if the act abetted is committed in consequence, and where no express provision is made for its punishment) and Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Agra, Suraj Kumar Rai, confirmed the arrests. The case was investigated and a chargesheet was filed, he said. Later, further investigation was conducted after new evidence emerged. “Based on the evidence collected during the further investigation, a closure report was filed in the case,” Rai said.

According to police records, the closure report was filed on December 2, 2000.