Self-Styled Godman 'Bhole Baba', Who Led Hathras 'Satsang', Has Sexual Assault Cases Against Him

Known for his controversial 'satsangs', Surajpal alias 'Bhole Baba' has a history of legal troubles, one of which is allegations of sexual assault.

Chairs, called 'gaddi', and other arrangements that were made for 'Bhole Baba' for his 'satsang', in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras. (Photo: PTI)

Hathras Stampede: In a devastating incident that occurred on July 2, a religious event in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district ended as one of the deadliest stampedes in the recent Indian history, claiming lives of 123 attendees and leaving several others injured. The event was led by local preacher and self-styled godman Baba Narayan Hari alias Saakar Vishwa Hari 'Bhole Baba', who absconded immediately after the stampede.

A former policeman, Saakar Vishwa Hari turned into a religious preacher nearly two decades ago and went on to gain massive following in UP, especially in its western parts. His real name is Surajpal, and he is a native of Bahadur Nagar in Kasganj district.

After leaving his job as a policeman in the late 1990s, he turned to spirituality and began conducting 'satsang' (religious sermons).

It is said that the stampede was trigerred after his followers rushed to collect the dust under his feet, as they saw him as a godman. This led to a deadly crush where several of his followers, mostly women and children ended up getting trampled underfoot.

Amidst this, a video also surfaced on social media wherein the Baba can be seen leaving the venue in his car, while hundreds of devotees try to chase him to get the dust under his feet, thinking of it as a token of his blessings. 

However, this is another addition to the list of controversies that he has been embroiled in the past.

'Bhole Baba' Has Sexual Assault Cases Against Him

Known for his controversial 'satsangs', Surajpal has a history of legal troubles, one of which is allegations of sexual assault.

However, what is shocking is depsite the numerous cases filed against him, he still continues to command a massive following, the example of which was recently witnessed in Hathras, when 2,50,000 people gathered to attend his 'satsang'.

As per media reports, he has cases in various jurisdictions of UP including Etawah, Farrukhabad, Kasganj, Agra and even in Rajasthan's Dausa.

In 1997, Surajpal faced legal troubles in connection with allegations of sexual assault, for which he served time in prison. He was also terminated from UP police services after allegations of rape against him.

It was only after his release from the prison that he reinvented himself as 'Saakar Vishwa Hari Baba', attracting devotees with his promises of spritual enlightenment and blessings, to his ashram in his ancestral village, NDTV reported.