How Social Inequality Fuels ‘Godmen’ Culture
5 months, 1 week ago

How Social Inequality Fuels ‘Godmen’ Culture

News 18  

India is a deeply religious country, revered for its true saints, whose wisdom, purity, detachment, knowledge, selflessness, and obvious divinity are unquestioned. The latest one in the news is Narayan Sakar Hari, also known as ‘Bhole Baba’. As people were dying and screaming, Bhole Baba left the venue like a head of state, his car escorted by dozens of black-uniformed ‘commandos’ on motorcycles. Known for his ‘rockstar’ image, gold jewellery, expensive watches, and luxury motorbikes, Singh was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2017 for raping two women disciples. Dalits also form a large portion of Ram Rahim’s followers, including those from Punjab, who suffer despite the egalitarianism promised by Sikhism.

Dalit Haryana Ram Rahim Baba Bhole Baba Godmen  baba  religious  rape  godmen  social  fuels  wealth  culture  inequality  murder  followers  bhole  women  structure

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How social inequality fuels ‘godmen’ culture
4 months ago

How social inequality fuels ‘godmen’ culture

Firstpost  

The so-called godmen preying on India’s poor are a symptom, not the disease. The latest one in the news is Narayan Sakar Hari, also known as ‘Bhole Baba’. As people were dying and screaming, Bhole Baba left the venue like a head of state, his car escorted by dozens of black-uniformed ‘commandos’ on motorcycles. Known for his ‘rockstar’ image, gold …

The discreet charm of the subaltern godmen
5 months, 2 weeks ago

The discreet charm of the subaltern godmen

Hindustan Times  

The stampede at the Hathras satsang raises many questions about all that went wrong that day — more due to negligence and thoughtlessness among key actors than any freak occurrence. One may find such patterns in the sects led by Baba Ram Raheem of the Dera Sacha Sauda in Punjab, Jai Gurudev collectives in northern India, and, of course, Narayan …

Narayan Sakar Hari (Bhole Baba) | Policeman-turned-preacher
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Narayan Sakar Hari (Bhole Baba) | Policeman-turned-preacher

The Hindu  

“He tried to stay under the radar as he went about his business,” said a retired police officer while explaining the rise of Narayan Sakar Hari or Bhole Baba from a modest hut to sprawling ashrams spread across Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring States. “At his ashram, one could see civil servants from his community camping on Tuesdays when the prasad …

Hathras ‘satsang’ stampede: ‘Bhole Baba's first appearance on camera since July 2. Where is the preacher?
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Hathras ‘satsang’ stampede: ‘Bhole Baba's first appearance on camera since July 2. Where is the preacher?

Hindustan Times  

Surajpal alias Narayan Sakar Hari alias ‘Bhole Baba’, the self-styled godman, has claimed that he was depressed over the Hathras 'satsang' stampede incident and asked the affected families to have faith in the judiciary. ‘Bhole Baba’s statement to news agency ANI on Saturday comes hours after Dev Prakash Madhukar, the main accused in the July 2 Hathras stampede, which claimed …

Bhole Baba: The godman who failed his devotees
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Bhole Baba: The godman who failed his devotees

The Hindu  

It is July 3, the day after 121 people, most of them women, were killed during a stampede at a satsang of a ‘godman’, Suraj Pal alias Narayan Sakar Hari, in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. I will never visit a satsang again.” Another woman, Pushpa, who also fell in the stampede but managed to escape unhurt, feels that Rekha’s decision is …

Bhole Baba: How did a UP constable turn into wealthy godman living life king size?
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Bhole Baba: How did a UP constable turn into wealthy godman living life king size?

New Indian Express  

LUCKNOW: The self-styled godman Bhole Baba, whom lakhs had flocked to see ahead of the tragic stampede which claimed 121 lives in Hathras on Tuesday, is yet to land in the police net. The Shri Narayan Hari Sakar Charitable Trust looks after the fortunes of Bhole Baba but the sources of his possessions are not clear as he has a …

Hathras stampede: CCTV footage shows Bhole Baba's convoy leaving village after incident
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Hathras stampede: CCTV footage shows Bhole Baba's convoy leaving village after incident

Hindustan Times  

A closed-circuit television footage has emerged showing a convoy of self-styled preacher Baba Narayan Hari alias Saakar Vishwa Hari 'Bhole Baba' leaving the village where a stampede killed 121 people, mostly women devotees, PTI reported. The footage shows several volunteers, also known as ‘Sevak’, standing on both sides of the road as Bhole Baba's convoy crosses The footage shared by …

Hathras godman on the run, his devotees defend him: 'He knew this would happen'
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Hathras godman on the run, his devotees defend him: 'He knew this would happen'

India Today  

On July 2 in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, a stampede at a 'satsang' program led to at least 121 deaths. In western Uttar Pradesh, Surajpal, also known as Narayan Sakar Hari, is a major religious figure among Dalits. Narayan Sakar Hari's satsangs are unmatched, drawing around 500,000 devotees and necessitating tents in fields away from cities. Held on the first Tuesday …

Hathras Stampede: UP Minister Makes Shocking Claims About Absconding 'Bhole Baba'
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Hathras Stampede: UP Minister Makes Shocking Claims About Absconding 'Bhole Baba'

ABP News  

Hathras Stampede: Fresh details have emerged in the stampede incident in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, which claimed the lives of 121 people and left 31 injured. Speaking on the incident, Uttar Pradesh Minister Jaiveer Singh said on Wednesday that Narayan Saakar Hari, alias ‘Bhole Baba’, the preacher at whose religious congregation the tragedy struck, was a highly influential figure. Responding to …

From Cop to 'Parmatma': Bhole Baba's, Hathras tragedy godman, devotional empire spans across states
5 months, 3 weeks ago

From Cop to 'Parmatma': Bhole Baba's, Hathras tragedy godman, devotional empire spans across states

India TV News  

Hathras Stampede: Seventeen years ago, Intelligence Department cop Suraj Pal Singh resigned from his job and reinvented himself with a new identity. Bhole Baba also went on to establish an ashram on his ancestral land. Baba arrived in Mainpuri after Gwalior Baba arrived in Mainpuri's Bichhwan to attend an event organised in Sikandra Rao, Hathras. Devotion to Baba's foot dust …

Hathras stampede: Where is cop-turned-preacher 'Bhole Baba' hiding? Police conduct search operation
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Hathras stampede: Where is cop-turned-preacher 'Bhole Baba' hiding? Police conduct search operation

India TV News  

Hathras stampede: A stampede at a religious congregation led by self-proclaimed saint Bhole Baba, also known as Narayan Sakar Hari, in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras has claimed the lives of 116 people so far. Police conduct search operation According to the reports, Bhole Baba came to Ram Kutir Ashram in Mainpuri directly from Hathras. However, the police carried out a search …

Hathras stampede: Who is Bhole Baba, ‘guru’ behind satsang, likely to be arrested?
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Hathras stampede: Who is Bhole Baba, ‘guru’ behind satsang, likely to be arrested?

Firstpost  

Bhole Baba, aka Narayan Sakar Hari, is a self-styled preacher who held a religious gathering in Hathras, where a stampede killed more than 120 people. He was an Uttar Pradesh constable and claims to have worked with the Intelligence Bureau before turning to a life of spirituality Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari or Bhole Baba was a police constable before he …

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