Over 100 people are dead including women and children in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district. The stampede occurred at a ‘Satsang’ put on by a self-styled guru in Sikandararao’s Phulrai. It occurred due to overcrowding, the police said.“There are almost 100-200 casualties and there was only one doctor at the hospital. There was no facility for oxygen. Some are still breathing but there are no proper treatment facilities,” an agitated youth said outside the Sikandara Rao Trauma Centre where victims were brought. The Uttar Pradesh government said an FIR will be registered against the organizers of the program.
Who is Bhole Baba aka Narayan Saakar Hari?
As per Moneycontrol, Hari is from Etah district’s Bahadur Nagari village. Hari and his wife conduct satsangs known as ‘Manav Mangal Milan Sadbhavna Samagam.’ Hari is said to have previously worked with the Intelligence Bureau, as per NDTV. Hari does not wear saffron clothes. His preferred outfit is a white suit and tie or a kurta-pajama. Hari claims he spends all the money donated to him on devotees. He has told devotees that he was of a spiritual bent even when he was working with the intelligence agency. And claims to have resigned from his job in the 1990s to pursue a life of spirituality. He calls himself a disciple of Hari. He is said to have a notable following in western Uttar Pradesh.
This isn’t the first time Hari has been in trouble with the law. In May 2022, at the height of COVID-19, Hari organized a ‘satsang’ in Uttar Pradesh’s Farrukhabad. Though authorities only permitted 50 people to attend, over 50,000 people participated in the satsang. The authorities at the time filed an FIR against Hari.
According to officials, the government has formed a team comprising the Agra additional director general of police and the divisional commissioner of Aligarh to probe the incident. Speaking to media persons, District Magistrate Ashish Kumar said it was a private function for which the permission was granted by the sub-divisional magistrate. The local administration provided security outside the venue while the internal arrangement was to be looked after by the organizers, he added.
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