Unfazed by stampede, Bhole Baba followers continue to visit ashrams for satsangs

AGRA: With Tuesdays usually being the ‘Satsang’ day of Suraj Pal, also known as Sakar Narain Hari or Bhole Baba, police have intensified the vigil in certain districts of Aligarh and the Agra range, including Mainpuri and Kasganj, which have prominent ashrams of the self-styled godman. The religious congregation at Phoolrai village in Hathras, where 121 followers lost their lives in a stampede, was also held on a Tuesday.

In Mainpuri, about 200 followers of Bhole Baba moved towards the ashram in Bichwan town, where Baba is believed to have been staying for the past week. The police, who guard the palatial ashram, denied Baba’s presence inside and stopped the followers midway, who were coming for the Tuesday Satsang.

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police (City) Rahul Mithas downplayed the situation, saying that a handful of followers visit the ashram every day, but the number has gone up on Tuesday.

“‘These followers came in small groups, offered their prayers, and raised ‘jaikara’ (praise slogans) outside the ashram in Bichwan, Mainpuri district. The sevadar at the ashram are not allowing entry to the followers, so they returned peacefully throughout,” said Mithas. He denied any effort by police stationed around to keep away the followers.

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Sources present outside the ashram said that police had to place barricades to stop about 200 followers who gathered and were inclined to move towards the ashram for the satsang, organised every Tuesday. These followers said that it hardly matters to them if their godman was present in the ashram or not, but as a practice, they reached the ashram on Tuesday and return after bowing at the gate, a tradition they follow.

Despite the high probability of Bhole Baba’s presence at the Bichwan ashram, the police continue to deny it and justifying the presence of the force for the security of the followers inside the ashram in the aftermath of the stampede.

Although remaining closed for the last two decades, Baba’s house in the Kedar Nagar locality of Agra witnessed more followers, all women, on Tuesday. They , chanted ‘jaikara’, bowed at the closed gate of the house, and returned.

Vigil was also enhanced at the lavish ashram of Bhole Baba in Bahadur Nagar village within Patiali tehsil of Kasganj district, the native village of Suraj Pal who returned here after taking voluntary retirement from the UP Police in 1998 and began his transformational journey to becoming a preacher. Here also some of his followers gathered on Tuesday and returned after offering prayers.

Also Read | Hathras ‘Baba’ was booked in Agra 24 years ago for making false claims

It may be recalled that Bhole Baba has been missing since July 2 after a stampede allegedly caused by a mad rush among his followers to take his ‘charan raj’ (blessed soil), which left 121 people, mostly women, dead.”

Exactly a week after the tragic stampede, earlier in the day on Tuesday, the SIT submitted its report, prepared by ADG Agra Zone Anupam Kulshrestha and Commissioner Aligarh Division Chetra V, to the chief minister in Lucknow. In initial action, six officials including the SDM, Tehsildar, CO, and the in-charge of Sikandra Rao police station were suspended today.