NEW DELHI, May 13: Sant Nirankari Mission head Baba Hardev Singh died in a road accident at Montreal, Canada this morning.
He was 62. The spiritual guru has millions of followers around the world and the news of his death has been received with shock and grief. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders have also condoled his death.
A spokesperson for the religious organisation said in a statement that Baba Hardev was travelling by car, which met with an accident at 0500 hrs (IST). He said details would follow soon.
Meanwhile, the Sant Nirankari Mandal has urged all the devotees “not to rush to Delhi or the headquarters of the mission or kothi”.
Baba Hardev Singh was born to Gurbachan Singh and Kulwant Kaur on February 23, 1954 in Delhi. After the assassination of his father, who was also then head of the Sant Nirankari Mission in 1980, he succeeded as “Satguru” of the organisation.
By 2009, the organisation had over 100 branches in 27 countries. It was Buta Singh, who started the Sant Nirankari movement in early 19th Century.
This sect places importance on a living leader, while Sikhs consider their scriptures as their final spiritual word. It was because of this difference, the Sant Nirankari was separated from the mainstream Sikhism in 1929. (UNI)
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