Hathras stampede: Baba's numerous legal run-ins didn't dent formidable following

Originally named Suraj Pal, the baba belonged to Bahadurnagar village in district Kasganj and was part of the civil police, a senior police official in Kasganj told ET. The baba was also associated with the local intelligence unit of Etawah in 1994-95, said another police officer. He was last posted to Agra, when he either left his job or was expelled, and soon emerged as Narayan Sakar Hari or Bhole Baba, building a formidable following over the years. Being a Dalit, his following was largely dominated by people from the Dalit and backward communities, and he spawned ashrams in Kasganj, Etah, Mainpuri, Aligarh and even Rajasthan.