Self-styled cult leader Asaram Bapu’s legacy and spiritual empire worth thousands of crores of rupees and millions of gullible souls is a shambles.
The Godman is sentenced to life in jail till his death for raping a 16-year-old girl student and daughter of a devotee at his ashram near Jodhpur, Rajasthan. This is the latest of the rape cases involving India’s fake god-men. More than rape, these fake ‘gurus’ flourish in the dung hill of superstition, illiteracy, insecurity and poverty of their devotees.
The story of the 77-year old God Man is a classic case of India’s spiritual anarchy and exploitation of the hapless millions, mostly poor and illiterate or semi-literate. And this is a time to prod over this menace of God Men or miracle babas or faith healers. This has been spreading like an endless epidemic in India.
The judge said, ‘ In my humble opinion, Assaram not only broke the faith of the complainant but also spoiled the image of saints among common men’.
Asaram’s case is not confined to the rape of a hapless minor. It reveals the cancerous growth of fake spiritualism and money minded and sex starving false god men and their victims. Rape is not restricted to a poor victim. But it is the rape of a whole society, culture, religion and a civilization. It is not like the Nithari rape and killings in Noida (UP) where the master and his servant raped and killed victims and the servant even ate the flesh of the victims a few years ago. The Asaram incident has happened in the name of a religion.
Imagine, Asaram and his son, Narayan Sai, were involved in several rape cases and murder while their religious cult was thriving. How could this happen in India of today? Where is this country heading for? Dark ages? Read this to understand the barbaric incidents involving the God Man in his ashram. Much before the minor girl was raped in 2013, two boys were killed in 2008 in his ashram linked to black magic rituals.A judicial enquiry was ordered and the report is awaited. Two sisters in Surat (Gujarat) accused Asaram and his son of raping them. The case is under trial.
During the trial of the current rape case in which he was convicted, three prime witnesses were killed. One witness was stabbed and still missing. Five persons escaped gun shots, acid attack and stabbing. The head of the school in which the rape victim was studying was intimidated to fake her age certificate to prove that she is a major. He was sent a bullet in a an envelope as a threat. The judge was intimidated to grant bail to Asaram. That was the reach of the spiritual mafia! This is not a fantasy around a spiritual mafia. The hit-man in the murder of the witnesses and intimidation, Karthick Haldar was arrested in Chattisgarh by a Gujarat anti-terror squad. The Bapu’s spiritual-cum-mafia empire was so vast and so mighty.
What do all these mean? Anything could be done in this country in the name religion and spirituality? Anyone with long white robes and flowing grey or dyed beard could hoodwink a nation? And millions of devotees would lay prostrate before them to be cheated and raped? Is this the destiny of this country and its people?
I had a brief encounter with this legendary fake. He came to the Press Club of India, Delhi, after the gruesome gang rape of Nirbhaya On January 16, 2012, to make some clarification. I was entering the Club through the main gate in one afternoon for lunch and a couple of vodka when a high end BMW car with dark window glasses halted in front of me. The God man was in the car to address a press conference. He was in a soup for a remark he made on the rape victim. He had said: ‘ Had she (Nirbhaya) chanted the Saraswati mantra, she would not have boarded any random bus after watching a movie with her boy friend. (Nirbhaya was raped in a bus). Even if she did, she should have taken god’s name and asked for mercy. She should have called them brothers, fallen at their feet and pleaded for mercy’. I just had a glance of the fake and then went straight to the bar without caring to hear his crap of a false alibi, whatever it may be. Had his victim called him even grand- father, he would have spared her? No way.
Asaram who has a rags-to-riches saga has a wife Laxmi Devi, and two children, one son, Narayan Sai, a fellow rapist and a daughter Bharti Devi. He has Rs 10,000 crore assets, 400 ashrams in India and abroad and lakhs of devotees all over the world. He runs five schools and shops in every ashram. He has 150 bigha of land in each ashram. He has a fleet of luxury cars and buses. Now he is an established rapist of a child and accused number 130 in the Jodhpur jail. All his wealth is a manifestation of people’s ignorance, superstition, illiteracy, ignorance and fear of the unknown and blind faith in thugs and spiritual scoundrels.
There are many names to add to this list of hall of infamous. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Baba of Dera Sacha Sauda is one among them. He was convicted in two rape cases in August 2017 to 20 years in jail and was imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh. His headquarters on the outskirts of Delhi was a den of all vices. But his devotees were addicted to him and his cult. 30 people were killed and 250 were injured following the violence erupted after his conviction. He is now cooling his heels in the prison. Virednra Dev Dikshit is another God Man. He runs Aditya Vishwa Vidyala in Delhi and other places. He is now an absconding accused in multiple rape cases. Ramphal , founder of Satlok Ashram (Haryana) is another criminal God Man in jail. Bodies of five women and a baby were found in his ashram when police stormed into it in the face of stiff resistance put up by his devotees. Nithyananda of Dhyanpeeta Charitable Trust is accused of rapes of a Tamil actress and a devotee. A case of unnatural sex was also slapped on him. He was arrested and jailed for 52 days. Now the Swamy is on bail. Ichadhari Bhimanand is yet another spiritual leader in jail. He started his career as a security guard in a five star hotel in Delhi’s Nehru Place in 1988. Then he got enlightenment and became Bhimanand. He was arrested and sent to jail for running a high profile sex racket. Swami Vikasanand of Jabalpur is in jail for rape. The list is endless. Golden Baba of Ghaziabad is yet another story of a crazy God Man. His actual name is Sudhir Makkar. He was a cloth and property business man in Delhi. Then he became a God Man. Disciples thronged him. He is dressed up in gold jewelry weighing over 14.5 kilograms. He wears 21 gold chains, 21 lockets of various Hindu deities, armlets and a golden jacket. He has a collection of luxury watches and expensive cars. What is spiritual about all these? None does not know. The devotees have no time to think about all these. That is the strength of these fake Gods.
Will the conviction of Asaram lead to an end to this mad rush towards false spiritual men? The problem is the rich, poor, top bureaucrats, literate, illiterate and politically influential all alike are their slaves. So there is some deep rooted malady afflicting the society as a whole. A social reformation is needed to weed out these fake God Men and God Women.
