2024-07-04 05:35:02
NEW DELHI: As gory details surfaced of the Hathras stampede that killed over 120 people, mainly women and children, the residents of self-proclaimed godman Bhole Baba‘s village sprung to his defence on Wednesday, even praising him for not taking donations or ‘chadhava (offerings)’ from anyone.
Saakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba, formerly known as Baba Narayan Hari, was once employed by the police department.He left his job to become a religious preacher after realizing that people were drawn to his ideas and attended his ‘satsang‘ (religious congregations) in large numbers.
Initially, he held ‘satsang’ in his village Dham in Patiyali tehsil, but he discontinued them when the gatherings became too large and started damaging the crops of the poor villagers.
The villagers stated that the preacher never solicited donations or “chadhava” from anyone. When asked about the construction of the ‘Bhavya Dham’, the villagers explained that it was built using the donations received from devotees, emphasizing that Baba never asked for anything from them. The women of the village spoke highly of Baba’s conduct, saying that he only discussed matters related to God.
Dhan Singh and Mohit Kumar, who live near the ashram, shared their experiences. Dhan Singh told PTI, “Bahut badhiya mahaul hota tha unke satsang ka (The atmosphere in his ‘satsang’ used to be very nice)”. Jay Kumar, from Baba’s birthplace at Bahadurnagar, mentioned that people appreciated his religious sermons and that lakhs of people attended his ‘satsang’, but such an incident had never occurred before.
Kumar spoke highly of Baba, stating that people frequently visited his ‘satsang’. Jagjivan Ram, also known as Govind, revealed that Baba had started ‘satsang’ from Agra, where he was posted in the police.
The locals mentioned that Baba is over 60 years old and has no children. They shared an incident where Baba had adopted a girl who passed away around 16-17 years ago. Baba had kept her body at home for two days, hoping she would come back to life. The police had to intervene, and the girl was eventually cremated.
Following the stampede at his ‘satsang’ in Hathras district, which claimed 121 lives and injured 31, Baba is said to be present at an ashram in Mainpuri. A large number of police personnel have been deployed outside the ashram, and officials remain tight-lipped about Baba’s presence inside. Some police sources, however, confirmed that he is indeed inside the ashram. Access to the ashram at Bichhawan has been restricted, with police personnel from several stations deployed outside, and no one, including the media, is allowed inside.