A Hindu spiritual leader is under scrutiny following a tragic incident where a gathering he hosted in North India resulted in the fatalities of 121 people due to a stampede. More than a quarter of a million devotees attended this event, which is a common practice amongst the numerous self-proclaimed messiahs running various cults across the nation.
The 65-year-old organizer, Suraj Pal Singh, was once a police constable. However, for the past thirty years, he has been known as Bhole Baba or the Innocent Elder. This respected ‘godman’ from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh is currently evading police. The authorities wish to interrogate him about the dreadful event that unfolded at Hathras, a location situated 200km southeast from New Delhi, in early July where the victims were predominately women and children.
This ‘godman’, like many others of his kind, claimed he was a reincarnation of different Hindu Gods, possessing impressive abilities. Apart from using his ‘powers’ to provide financial and spiritual help to his impoverished and predominantly low-caste Dalit followers, he asserted he could heal numerous ailments, deformities, blindness, and even cancer, albeit privately. In 1998, he declared he could bring a deceased 16-year-old girl back to life at a crematorium in Uttar Pradesh. However, the police intervened before he could demonstrate this in public.
Bhole Baba’s YouTube channel, which boasts over two-million viewers, shows him arriving at grand gatherings of his followers, such as the one at Hathras. He’s often seen resplendent in a gleaming white three-piece suit, in a procession of 15-20 high-end cars, followed by a squad of motorcycle-mounted uniformed personnel. Once the salutations from the predominantly female audience die down, a team of volunteers wearing pastel pink uniforms, wielding batons, escort him to a lavish silver throne. Following this, Baba delivers his sermon, offering his worshipers a promise of a heavenly life.
Throughout the years, a man living near Hathras has persuaded believers that the water sourced from handpumps at his residence, is “Amrit” or a special potion promising longevity. He has also promoted the collection of the “raj” or “enchanted dust” that is stirred when he walks or drives past. It was the frantic rush to amass this “blessing” that led to the unfortunate tragedy in Hathras.
The police have since informed that this individual, known as Baba, is subject to many allegations, including fraud, unauthorised land possession, and sexual assault. This is just another example as numerous other spiritual leaders, known as gurus, yogis, sadhus or swamis in India, are currently imprisoned for a variety of criminal offences.
The authorities pointed out that countless comparable spiritual leaders, characterised by extravagant displays and glamour, are revered unquestioningly by millions across India’s complex and rich patchwork of faith, spirituality, and multiculturalism. Observers noted that the appeal of these spiritual leaders is directly proportional to their flamboyance and theatrics, combined with their ability to convincingly offer solutions to their followers’ health, financial and spiritual problems amidst tumultuous times.
According to Sociologist Badri Narayan, the miracles presented by these spiritual leaders have gained traction recently through social media and TV channels. This attracts distressed individuals who hope they might ease their sufferings and illnesses through touch, amulets, and potions if given unwavering devotion.
Political support has further augmented the popularity of such spiritual leaders, with both parties benefiting. Politicians reap from the leaders’ ability to rally voters, providing in return for their congregations, protection from legal action, land allowances, tax reliefs and various other state sponsorships.
One of the recent examples of such reciprocation involved Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, also known as MSG or Messenger of God. Convicted in 2017 for offences including the rape of two girls and the murder of a journalist in the northern Haryana state, despite this, his political ties and a cult following of over 60 million resulted in him receiving parole on nine occasions, typically prior to state or parliamentary elections.
For nearly three decades, Singh, positioned as a holy man, ruled over an establishment filled with moral corruption and depravity at his secluded retreat. Operating through threats, force and manipulation, he supposedly commanded the emasculation of around 400 disciples in the name of bolstering their spirituality. Despite these allegations, his detainment was consistently sidestepped over the years; such leniency mostly attributable to his political connections with subsequent state administrations that he had aided in securing their electoral victories.