Suraj Pal, the self-styled godman worshipped by a legion of followers as Bhole Baba and Narayan Hari Sakar, has accumulated assets worth Rs 100 crores in the past two decades.
That wealth is in the spotlight amid an investigation into the stampede tragedy at Bhole Baba's 'satsang' or religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, which caused 121 deaths last Tuesday.
Baba Bhole, who has not been seen in public since the tragedy, was a messiah to his followers, who believed that his mantras would ward off spirits and stop household disputes.
Such was the belief of his devotees that when dead bodies piled up and wails of relatives echoed across hospital corridors, flower petals were showered to welcome him at his ashram in Mainpuri.
The "five-star" ashram, resembling a palace, is just the tip of the iceberg. The land on which it is built costs Rs 4 crore.
One of his guards had donated the Mainpuri land to his trust, said sources. The house he stayed in was located within the ashram and one would have to cross the guards' quarters to reach there. He had taken about 50 bigha of land attached to the ashram on lease as well.
His trust also owns ashrams and hundreds of bighas of land spanning acres in Kasganj, Agra, Kanpur, and Gwalior.
Bhole Baba, who left his constable's job in 1999 to start preaching, has a penchant for expensive things; he owns a fleet of luxury cars that he has allegedly bought in the names of his devotees.
Interestingly, a board at one of his ashrams mentions that the self-styled godman does not accept any donation. The claim is contradicted by donors' names written all over the ashram walls. The donations range from 100 bags of cement to vehicles and cash for building ashrams.
Tuesday's stampede occurred at a 'satsang' organised by Baba Bhole and his organisation in Phulrai village in Hathras, claiming the lives of 121 people, including seven children.
The police said about 2.5 lakh followers had gathered for the event but the organisers had permission for only 80,000. When Bhole Baba was leaving the venue, a crowd rushed to collect the dust kicked up by his convoy, believing it to be a blessing. In a bid to control the crowd, the volunteers and others in charge of security from his organisation, began pushing people back. Several devotees fell around an embankment and were crushed by the crowd. Amid the chaos, other attendees began running, triggering a stampede.
A day later, Bhole Baba expressed condolences to the families of the victims and blamed "anti-social elements" for the tragedy.
Six people have been arrested so far. But the "godman" has not been named in the FIR, which has held the organisers responsible. Cops have not ruled out taking the self-styled godman into custody, but said it was too early to comment on if he had a role in the incident.
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