Unlike many self-styled godmen who wear saffron robes, Narayan Hari is mostly seen in a white suit and tie.

A massive stampede during a religious congregation claimed over 120 lives and left several hundred injured on Tuesday in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras. The event, hosted by the Manav Mangal Milan Sadbhavana Samagam Committee, was led by the revered Narayan Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba in Hathras’ Phulrai Mugalgadhi village.

Suraj Pal Singh, now known to his followers as Bhole Baba, was born in the Bahadur Nagari in Etah district, Uttar Pradesh. Singh grew up working on his family’s farm. After completing his schooling, he joined the Uttar Pradesh police, where he served as a head constable for more than 18 years.

In 1999, Singh took voluntary retirement from the police, adopting the name Narayan Saakar Hari. He started holding satsangs, claiming a deep inclination towards spirituality and world peace. He told his followers that he felt compelled to leave his police job to pursue a higher calling.

Bhole Baba claimed to have a modest lifestyle, reportedly living in a hut in his village and travelling across Uttar Pradesh to spread his teachings. He is usually accompanied by his wife, Prem Bati, to these sabhas. He has no children and he claims to distribute all donations received during his satsangs among his followers.

While the specifics of his rise to prominence remain somewhat obscure, Bhole Baba’s preaching style has resonated deeply with the lower-middle class. He has garnered a massive following in states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana. He has a particularly strong grip over the Etah-Kasganj and Braj regions of Uttar Pradesh, where he began his spiritual mission by traveling to various villages, delivering religious sermons, and earning the moniker ‘Bhole Baba’.

After achieving fame as a preacher, Bhole Baba underwent a transformation to reflect his elevated status. Unlike many self-styled godmen who wear saffron robes, Narayan Hari is mostly seen in a white suit and tie or a simple kurta pyjama. At his gatherings, Bhole Baba is seated on a high chair, reminiscent of a throne.

To handle the massive crowds that attend his satsangs, Bhole Baba relies on his security team, the “Narayani Sena.” His men in light pink shirts, trousers, and white caps, armed with batons, manage the security arrangements at his events. This group of male and female guards escorts him from his ashram to various satsang locations, ensuring his safety and maintaining order among the devotees.

Despite his calculated distance from the media, Bhole Baba has not been free from controversy. In 2022, he held a large satsang in UP’s Farrukhabad while the Delta variant of Covid-19 was spreading rapidly. While the district administration limited the event to 50 attendees, over 50,000 people flocked to the site.

Following the stampede in Hathras, Bhole Baba has gone into hiding. The UP police have launched a search operation. A case has been filed against a close aide, the ‘mukhya sewadar,’ and the organisers of the event, though Bhole Baba himself has not been named as an accused in the First Information Report (FIR).

Footage from before the stampede shows a large gathering of people under a ‘shamiana,’ listening to Bhole Baba, who sat on his throne-like chair. Eyewitnesses reported that chaos ensued after the satsang ended, as some devotees rushed towards the exit while others moved in the opposite direction to collect the soil that Bhole Baba had walked on. This opposing flow of people led to a massive crowd buildup in a confined area, triggering the deadly stampede.