Fact Check: Viral video does not show Baba responsible for the Hathras stampede
At least 121 people, a majority of them women, died in a stampede that occurred during a religious gathering (Satsang) presided by a Hindu Guru, Bhole Baba at Hathras district in Uttar Pradesh
Claim :
Viral video shows Baba responsible for the Hathras stampede, in which over 121 people diedFact :
The person in the video is not godman Bhole Baba, who presided the Hathras congregation
At least 121 people, a majority of them women, died in a stampede that occurred during a religious gathering (Satsang) presided by a Hindu Guru, Bhole Baba at Hathras district in Uttar Pradesh. According to the police report, the stampede took place after the Godman’s security pushed his followers as they tried to collect the dirt near his feet. The FIR also states that the organizers exceeded the capacity of the venue. The event which received permission for 80,000 attendees, reportedly attracted over 2.5 lakh people. Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari or Bhole Baba is the local preacher who addressed the Satsang at Hathras, where the stampede occurred.
Meanwhile, a video showing a person sitting in the middle of a pile of rose petals and shaking incessantly is in circulation with the claim that it shows the Godman who addressed the Hathras congregation. The caption in Telugu goes “వీడిని చూడటానికా హత్రాస్ లో 121 మంది చనిపోయింది”. When translated, it claims ‘121 people were killed to see this person?’
Fact check:
The claim is False. The person seen in the video is not Bhole Baba who presided over the gathering at Hathras where the stampede took place.
When we searched the keyframes extracted from the video, we found a X account that shared the viral video with the caption ‘लो भाई अब मार्केट में आ गए 'वा
A YouTube video published by the channel named Vindhya Bharat Live states that the person seen in the video is Bharat Madi or Vibration Baba from Gujarat.
When we searched using the keywords Vibration Baba, we found a few web articles confirming that he is Bharat Madi, also known as Vibration Baba.
According to Navbharat Times, thousands and lakhs of people gather at the programmes of Bharat Madi who moves his tongue in his programmes. He puts his hand in boiling oil and applies the oil to his face. Sometimes Bharat Madi also treats his devotees with this method. His devotees are convinced that Maid has some divine power and that he can reduce their sorrow and pain. Vibration Baba alias Bharat Madi claims that Mother Goddess overpowers him. Bharat Madi shows miracles using boiling oil. He is also known as Current Mata. He has registered his presence by taking part in folk songs performed at Patotsav in Panchmahal and other nearby districts of Gujarat, local leaders also reach out to him seeking blessings.
The Godman addressing the gathering in Hathras is Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba, he is a self-styled godman. He has lakhs of followers. According to reports, his real name is Suraj Pal Singh, he worked for UP police’s local intelligence unit for 18 years. Later, he took voluntary retirement to pursue the spiritual path. He has a huge following among the poor and lower middle class.
Several articles shared his photo, which differs from the visuals seen in the viral video. Here is the comparison.
Therefore, the viral video does not show the self-styled godman addressing the congregation in Hathras, before the stampede occurred. The claim is False.
