Hathras stampede: How caste discrimination has stoked the popularity of Dalit spiritual leaders
This growing religiosity has alarmed community activists, who say it opens the door to Hindutva.
Join our WhatsApp Community to receive travel deals, free stays, and special offers!
- Join Now -
Join our WhatsApp Community to receive travel deals, free stays, and special offers!
- Join Now -
On July 3, Rekha Jatav, a resident of Garhi Tamana village in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district, had a close shave. Half an hour after she left the venue hosting a congregation of spiritual leader Bhole Baba, a stampede resulted in the death of more than 120 devotees. The vast majority of the dead were women. Many, like Rekha, belonged to the Jatav Dalit community.
“When I left the venue around 2 pm, nothing had happened,” the 55-year-old woman told Scroll. “But while waiting for my bus, I heard that some women had fainted and a child had died due to some mishap. On my way back, I saw several ambulances going towards the venue.”
Rekha Jatav had travelled 40 km with around 20 other women of her neighbourhood to attend the satsang in Fulrai. A day after the stampede, she discovered that three of her acquaintances from the nearby Sokhana village had died in the tragedy. All three belonged to the Jatav Dalit community.
The spiritual leader Bhole Baba, also known as Narayan Sakar Hari among his followers, hails from the same community. His original name is Suraj Pal and he used to work as a constable in the Uttar Pradesh Police. After taking voluntary retirement in the 1990s,...
