India’s notorious Godmen

Godmen in India hold the status of spiritual figures whose oligarchy is backed by their hundreds and thousands of devotees. In a land where sanctimony is hailed without doubt, these godmen hold an unflinching grip despite allegations of rape, assault, murder and fraud.

With the look-out for Rampal in full swing, Newsmobile brings you ringside view of India’s godmen in the eye of a storm.

I. Non-Bailable Warrants were issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday against Rampal for contempt for skipping judicial proceedings before a Sessions Court in Haryana’s Hisar district on November 05, citing medical reasons.

With claims of being an incarnation of the 15th century mystic poet Kabir, his grip on his followers is such that they are going head to head with law, disrupting police from arresting him. Armed supporters fired at police as they landed to arrest the godman at his ashram in Haryana on Tuesday and, clashes still ensue.

The murder case against Rampal for which he is currently facing prosecution is from July 2006 when clashes between Rampal disciples and Arya Samaj followers saw a youth killed and 59 injured.

The other cases against Rampal are as follows:

1. An FIR was registered against Rampal and his followers for forgery after a complaint was filed against him a day after the clash with Arya Samajis in 2006. It was alleged that Satlok Ashram at Karontha village was built on a piece of land obtained through forgery.

2. An FIR was registered against seven supporters of Rampal, including a woman, on May 5, 2013. Anil Kumar, a resident of Atawala village in Panipat district, complained to the police that the preacher’s followers thrashed him at the Ashram. “They wanted me to give in writing that I am a spy of AryaSamaj. They also prepared my video recording forcing me to give statements against AryaSamaj leader,” Anil said in the FIR.

3. Another FIR was registered on May 9, 2013 against the followers of Rampal for issuing threats to Arya Samajis. According to the complaint filed by secretary of Haryana Gaushala Sangh Achayra Sarv Mitar, the followers of Rampal telephoned the office-bearers of Arya Samaj and threatened them.

4. Three people, including a woman, were killed and around 100 injured in police firing on activists of Arya Samaj who were protesting against handing over the possession of an ashram to Rampal in Karontha village on May 12, 2013. A day after this, a murder case was registered against Rampal for allegedly killing an Arya Samaj activist Promila Devi.
 

II. Then there’s Asaram Bapu, he has over 425 ashrams and more than 50 gurukuls all over India, with following beyond the country’s borders.

This godman, however unlike the rest, is currently spending his spiritual days in prison.

The 72-year-old ‘guru’ was arrested following a complaint filed by a 16-year-old girl on Aug 20, 2013. The minor girl accused Asaram of sexually assaulting her at his ashram near Jodhpur.

The Supreme Court also said that unless the critical witnesses in the case are examined, he would not be set free on bail.

Controversies

1: Commenting on the December 16 Delhi gang rape incident, Asaram suggested that the victim was equally responsible for the crime. He said the girl could have called her assailants brothers and begged them to stop. His comments invited sharp criticism from across the political spectrum and from women’s activists.

2: The ministry of corporate affairs said it had received complaints against him and his son in an alleged 700-acre land-grabbing case and the serious frauds investigation office is looking into the matter.

3: Asaram and his son were also investigated in the mysterious deaths of two boys whose decomposed bodies were found from the banks of Sabarmati River near his ashram in 2008.

 

III. Popular for his spiritual discourses and meditation programmes, Swami Nithyananda was named as one of the 100 most spiritually influential living people in the world by Watkins’ Mind Body Spirit magazine.   

Controversies

1: Nithyananda landed in a controversy after a purported video footage showing him in a compromising position with an actress was telecast by local TV channels. Nithyananda said the video was morphed and manipulated to misrepresent his personal life but did not deny his images with actress Ranjita in the film.

Lenin Karuppan, who had exposed the alleged sex scandal, was arrested after a complaint by the manager of Nithyananda’s ashram that Lenin had demanded money to keep the video secret.

2: Swami Nithyananda was also accused of rape by Indian-born American citizen, Arthi Rao, in June 2012. Rao went on Indian television accusing Nithyananda of raping her for several years. Nithyananda again denied the allegations.

 

IV. Jayendra Saraswati is the sixty-ninth Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. While acquitted in November 2013 in the Sankararaman murder case, Sarawati has faced many other controversial charges.

Controversies

1. In 2002 a case was filed against Jayendra Saraswathi and his followers for allegedly ordering murderous assault on auditor Radhakrishnan who raised questions about gold that was meant for Kamakshi temple. The assault case is still under trial.

2. Anuradha Ramanan, a Tamil writer and novelist, complained and filed a suit against Jayendra Saraswathi on 2004 for allegedly asking her for sexual favours. The case was closed on account of her death in 2010.

3. In 2012, Ranjitha, a South Indian actor, filed a defamation case against Jayendra for making scandalous comments, linking her with Nithyananda. The defamation case is still case under trial.