Lucknow, July 3: Sakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba, whose religious discourse in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras resulted in a massive stampede leaving 121 dead, is now absconding.
Search operations were conducted at Ram Kutir Charitable Trust in Mainpuri district in search of ‘Bhole Baba’, but he wasn’t found.
Interestingly, the FIR does not mention Bhole Baba as an accused. Instead, his manager and organiser, Dev Prakash Madhukar, referred to as ‘Mukhya Sewadar’, along with other organisers of the religious event, have been named in the FIR.
It is worth mentioning that Sakar Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba was formerly known as Saurabh Kumar and has previously served in the intelligence department of the Uttar Pradesh Police. After 17 years of service, he quit his job and embarked on a spiritual journey as a preacher. He is often seen delivering sermons dressed in a white suit and tie.
Popularly known as ‘Sakar Vishwa Hari Baba of Patiali’, the self proclaimed godman organizes satsang programs with his wife and his following extends beyond Uttar Pradesh to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
Despite maintaining a distance from the media and social media, he has a large number of followers who refer to themselves as ‘Baba’s army’. He also maintains an ashram in Mainpuri.
Notably, he courted controversy during the Covid pandemic when he sought permission for a satsang in Farrukhabad district in May 2022, initially intended for only 50 people. However, the congregation swelled to over 50,000, posing a significant challenge for the local administration.
