If we logically speak, then Rampal’s arrest and his stand against Arya Samaj made him popular. However, he became more popular because of the state of mind of the people who believe in such kind of a man. According to reports, during search operations, the police found condoms, drugs, adult content, and even a secret camera in the ladies’ toilet at Rampal’s Satlok Ashram. Whenever Hindu religious leaders or organisations came under police scanner, they came up with the story of finding condoms, porn CD, some uncanny sex scandal stories. If we trust investigating agencies and police then this clearly indicates what kind of business was going on in these ashrams! The need of the hour is that the police must investigate the cases in depth. Apart from this, we the people must be careful about this kind of blind following in the name of God.
As a society, we need to safeguard ourselves against these types of self-styled godmen who shoot instantly to fame with concocted stories about their spiritual prowess claiming lineage to some past saint. Here we can raise the controversial question that how such godmen flourish without political patronage. Earlier Government had no answer. Such thugs are no different than perpetrators of terrorism who build their own sanctuaries under the nose of the establishment and enjoy all the privileges of an honorable citizen. The present disposition at the center would take necessary steps to put an end to such fake sainthood to whose charms the gullible public fall easy prey.
Even when Nityananda was arrested, there was TV debate about Condoms, Alcohol & Meditation in Nithyananda’s Ashram. Nityanand was seen with a female Tamil actor in an objectionable state on a special telecast by a major South Indian TV channel. His sex life was randomly discussed in Media. On August 21, 2013, a case of sexual assault was registered in Kamla Market police station in Delhi against controversial spiritual leader Asaram Bapu. The alleged crime is said to have been committed in Asaram’s Jodhpur ashram. Delhi cops have handed the case over to Jodhpur Police for investigation. Meanwhile Asaram Bapu and his son both are languishing in jail under rape and molestation charges. Narayan Sai’s personal bodyguard, Devendra, has revealed certain important details about him. Devendra disclosed that Narayan Sai communicated using code words and his modus operandi was entirely different from what it was earlier thought to be. Devendra told the police about the kind of code words which Narayan Sai used to communicate to the Sadhikas in his ashram. Narayan Sai used code words as ‘Malang’ and ‘Vastu’ to refer to condoms in his ashram at Gujarat.
Sanathan Sanstha had allegedly purchased 500 condoms for its Ashram in Ramnathi-Ponda, 2009 investigations into Margao blast. Ponda police came with this story and that has shocked many Hindu organisations and citizens.
The brains behind Hot Yoga chain Bikram Choudhury is no alien to hullabaloos. There are ongoing cases of sexual harassment and rape against him. Moreover, one of her councilors has called him racist, anti-women, homophobic and violent. The councillor Meenakshi also said that Bikram referred to females working for him or otherwise as ‘bitches’. She also said that Bikram once told her, “It is true that HIV is contracted due to gay relations, but such people love me, they love Bikram.”
In September 2008, a leader of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was charged with rape by one of the members. Apprehended in Delhi, Ichchhadhari Baba ran a sex racket. Swayambhu Baba Shiv Dwivedi was arrested under MCOCA for flesh trade. He is also known as Sant Swami Bheemanand and Maharaj Chitrakootwaale.
The question here is, why all these Godmen fall in trap of sex? Why every time investigative authorities come up with similar stories or all the self-styled Godmen following same modus operandi?
People take the shelter of so called saints to get rid of the problems. They are unable to resolve them by any other means such as medicines for health. They start believing in their powers and become ardent followers. They keep following babas with the fear that they should get grappled again with such problems if they leave the babas. But when the saints themselves are in problem, they feel morally obliged to support or even protect them and rightly so. They fail to evaluate the way their stand will affect all and some over enthusiastic disciples indulge in activities that others presume to emanate with the instructions of their “Guru” which may not always be the case.
Rampal is not a godman but a gunman and a mad man! How can he defy laws of the land and use his blind followers as human shields and mercenaries? Why the state government allowed his followers to gather in such large numbers in front of his ashram before they were used as human shields? Why his followers, in the first place, are so blindly following him and why the self-styled godman was given VIP treatment after his arrest, are mysterious and baffling! It is high time, bogus godmen were weeded out of our religious lives.
