Hathras stampede: ’Bring dead teen to life’—The false claim that landed Bhole Baba in trouble 24 years ago in Agra

Twenty-four years ago, in 2000, police at Agra's Shahganj police station booked Bhole Baba, the self-styled godman Suraj Pal, also known as Narayan Saakar Hari, for falsely claiming to bring a 15-year-old dead girl back to life.

Narayan Hari Saakar, or Bhole Baba, was arrested after several of his followers pelted the police with stones, said Tejveer Singh, a retired deputy SP, reported the Hindustan Times. Tejveer Singh was the inspector in charge of the Shahganj police station that year.

Narayan Hari Saakar and his followers had taken the dead girl to the crematorium to display Baba's magical powers, said Tejveer Singh.

“A 15-year-old girl had died on March 18, 2000. Sural Pal, who has an ashram in Kedar Nagar area of Agra, claimed to bring the girl back to life. He and his followers took the deceased girl to Malka Chabutra crematorium for exhibiting his magical powers,” Tejveer Singh told HT.

Later on, violence ensued, calling for police intervention. “Seven people, including Sural Pal, were arrested and booked under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, at Shahganj police station of Agra,” said the retired deputy SP. A court order later acquitted Suraj Pal.

On Saturday, July 6, 2024, Bhole Baba broke his silence about the Hathras stampede that took away the lives of around 121 people. Women and children comprised the majority of victims. Suraj Pal requested people to continue to have faith in God and in the administration.

“May God give us the strength to bear this pain. Please keep faith in the government and the administration. I have faith that anyone who created the chaos would not be spared. Through my lawyer AP Singh, I have requested the members of the committee to stand with the bereaved families and the injured and help them throughout their lives,” said Bhole Baba, according to ANI.