Sikandra Rao, Hathras: A giant poster at self-styled godman Bhole Baba’s satsang venue in UP’s Fulrai village, where 121 people lost their lives in a stampede Tuesday, displays the names and numbers of members of the organising committee that managed the event.
Among those named on the board is Ramsevak Dikshit.
Two years ago, Ramsevak suffered a brain haemorrhage that left him partially paralysed. “How can a person who can barely walk organise a satsang? How can he serve anyone?” asks Radha Rani, Ramsevak’s wife, adding that he also has a heart condition.
Sitting next to her at their home, around 4 kilometres from the stampede site, Ramsevak breaks down. “We hadn’t told him about his name being on the board because we didn’t want to worry him. But some other people came and told him and since then he has been crying. He is worried about what will happen to him,” says Radha Rani.
It’s not just Ram Sevak. ThePrint called around 20 of the 78 members of the ‘Manav Mangal Milan Sadbhavana Samagam Committee’ (as seen on the venue board), whose names have been displayed on the board at the satsang venue. Most of the numbers were switched off, but some who responded claimed their names were included in the committee without their knowledge, and they had never even attended any of the godman’s events.
This comes at a time when the police have arrested six satsang organisers in connection with the stampede. Aligarh IG Shalabh Mathur told media persons Thursday that six people including four men and two women have been arrested, all members of the organising committee and working as sevadars.
#WATCH | On Hathras stampede incident, Aligarh IG Shalabh Mathur says, "We are inquiring about 'Bhole Baba's' criminal history. Permission for the event was not taken in his name. " pic.twitter.com/5mvGjDLeCY
— ANI (@ANI) July 4, 2024
In their FIR lodged Tuesday night in connection with the stampede, the Sikandra Rao police booked ‘mukhya sevadar’ Devprakash Madhukar and other unnamed organisers of the satsang. Godman Narayan Sakar Hari, or ‘Bhole Baba’ as he is better known, is not named in the FIR, though the police maintain they are searching for him. Bhole Baba’s lawyer has claimed that “anti-social elements” were behind the stampede.
The FIR states that the organisers sought permission for a crowd of 80,000, concealing the fact that past events had drawn lakhs of people, but the crowd exceeded 2,50,000.
On almost every wall of Radha Rani’s home, hangs a picture of Bhole Baba. Speaking to ThePrint, she says she has been following him since three years ago, when her entire body had gotten swollen, and no treatment was giving her relief. It was then that a neighbour of hers had suggested she go to Bhole Baba. She then went to the godman’s Mainpuri ashram to listen to his sermons. She claims that after “praying” to Bhole Baba, she got better.
Radha Rani was unable to attend Tuesday’s satsang due to the large crowds. However, she says, two days before the satsang, her daughter gave a donation of around Rs 15,000 to those organising the event.
The daughter claims her father was made a committee member and posters were created without their knowledge.
“We gave this donation in my father’s name with the intention of serving at the satsang. They also took information like phone numbers from us. But they didn’t tell me anything about adding his name to the committee or putting his name on the posters,” she adds, not wanting to be named.
Radha Rani reiterates that her husband cannot serve or participate in any events due to his condition. “We have all the documents related to his treatment. Our situation is known to everyone. We are not afraid. We just want the police to catch the culprits soon,” she says.
Also Read: ‘Here for parmatma’ — followers gather at Bhole Baba’s Mainpuri ashram after Hathras tragedy
‘Have never even met Bhole Baba’
Another individual whose name and number were on the list of organising committee members on satsang venue board told ThePrint on condition of anonymity that he has never attended any of Bhole Baba’s events, nor has he ever met him. He claimed that his wife often used to listen to the godman’s sermons, but he himself was not involved.
Before the event, the organisers had sought funds from his wife for arrangements, but she refused. Instead, she wrote her husband’s name as a volunteer to provide drinking water.
“But I went. Not before and not this time. There were many people whose names were written down, but they have never participated in the event,” he says. “They had told my wife to give my name, and they would print it on posters that would be put up everywhere,” he adds.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Six years ago I saw what happened at Bhole Baba’s ‘satsang’ venue. It was chaos