Who is Narayan Hari aka 'Bhole Bhaba', preacher whose satsang in UP’s Hathras turned deadly

Narayan Sakar Vishva Hari with his wife

A stampede broke out at a satsang in Hathras on Tuesday evening, resulting in deaths of over 50 devotees. The satsang was organised by Narayan Sakar Vishva Hari Bhole Baba, a spiritual guru.

The incident took place in the Sikandararao area of Hathras district in Uttar Pradesh.

Who is Narayan Sakar Hari?

Suraj Pal Singh or Bhole Baba was born in Bahadur Nagari village in Uttar Pradesh's Etah district to a farmer. He joined UP police and was reportedly a head constable working with the Intelligence Unit for nearly two decades. However, his followers say he has also claimed that he worked for the Intelligence Bureau.

In 1999, he took voluntary retirement from the service and changed his name to Narayan Saakar Hari. He then began holding satsangs. According to reports, he told his devotees he felt an inclination towards spirituality and world peace and he resigned to begin his spiritual journey.

How did his spiritual journey begin?

According to a report, Singh claimed to live in a hut in his village and travelled across Uttar Pradesh to preach. Narayan Hari also enjoys a large following in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

“After serving in the police force for about a decade, he left the job… His last posting was in Agra,” a police officer who visited Singh’s village after the stampede told Indian Express. While the exact date is not known, Singh is reported to have left the police force some time in the 1990s.

Unlike most self-styled godmen, Narayan Hari is always spotted wearing a white suit and tie or a simple kurta pyjama. He is generally accompanied by his wife Prem Bati. He also claims he does not keep any money offered to him by followers at his satsangs and distributes it among his followers.

Covid satsang

Two years ago, during the Covid-19 wave in May 2022, he held a satsang in Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh. The district administration had allowed only 50 people to attend, but defying the regulations, over 50,000 people participated, disrupting the city’s traffic system. At that time, the district administration also filed a report against the organisers.