4 months ago
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Self-styled godman Suraj Pal, known as Bhole Baba, commands quite a following in Uttar Pradesh. A sprawling ashram built with crores in donations in UP's Mainpuri is a testament to his hold and popularity among his devotees.
Bhole Baba holds regular Satsangs for the bhakts, who throng the events to listen to him. One such event, held in UP's Hathras, descended into tragedy on Tuesday when a fervid rush to collect dust from under the godman's feet caused a fatal stampede that killed at least 121 people - many of whom are women and children.
Suraj Pal, known for his controversial 'satsangs', has been battling legal troubles, including allegations of sexual assault, for years now. These cases - in the cities of UP and Rajasthan - have had no bearing on his following, which remained steady despite the multiple cases.
However, the cases have had an impact on the godman. He is reportedly deeply distrustful and suspects there is a conspiracy at play to fatally attack him.
Such is the fear, that Bhole Baba has not visited his home in Bahadur Nagari village in Uttar Pradesh's Etah district for nearly eight years.
He also has an elaborate security cover - including "black commandos" and an army of women.
The Baba has a room in the corner of the ashram and only seven selected people are allowed to enter that room. The seven includes women and sevadars, who have been living with him since the very beginning.
Keeping with the security protocol, the godman never meets anyone after 8 pm.
Each security personnel in the Baba's cover has a code word and each security squad has a certain dress code to set them apart from the others. Three squads work round-the-clock to protect the Baba - the Narayani Sena, the Garud Yodha, and the Hari Vahak.
Personnel in the Narayani Sena wear pink dresses, the Garud Yodha wear black clothes (and are also known as the "black commandos" among the locals), while the Hari Vahak members have distinctive caps and wear brown dresses.
The "black commandos" move with the Baba's convoy and always operate in groups of 20. Each Narayani Sena has 50 members, while the Hari Vahak members are put in groups of 25 each.
On Tuesday, 121 people were crushed to death by a frenzied crowd of over 2.5 lakh in Hathras. Bhole Baba, missing since the incident, released a statement this evening, blaming "anti-social elements" for the tragedy.
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