Saga of the godman

What is ironic is these men on rampage had literally walked into Panchkula armed with lathis, petrol cans and ammunition

It all began with a godman being convicted. Haryana, a state in north India under BJP rule burnt. There was large-scale violence and mayhem that even engulfed its neighbour, Punjab. And all this over a controversial godman who was held guilty by a special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Panchkula, Haryana. The Court had, in its verdict, convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of rape.  Given that the quantum of punishment was reserved over the weekend, the situation in both the states remained tense. But having burnt its fingers once and coming under sharp attack from all quarters, the Haryana government could not take any chance the second time around. Whether it was caught napping or wilfully turned a blind eye is a question mark but the streets turned bloody with 30 people dead after the godman’s followers took to the streets, setting vehicles, railway stations and other public buildings on fire and clashing with security forces and injuring over  250 people. Many parts of the state remained under curfew while parts of India’s capital city New Delhi were also put on high alert. What is ironic is these men on rampage had literally walked into Panchkula armed with lathis, petrol cans and ammunition all under the eye of the Police but the forces simply did not stir. The fact that on the day the quantum of sentence was pronounced, all remained peaceful only lends credence to the fact that had the government wanted it could have prevented the destruction or checked the convergence of hordes of people who were preparing to attack in the event of the verdict going against “their God”. So to say or pretend that the Government was caught unawares is neither credible nor convincing. In any case, any government worth its salt must be ahead of a crisis rather than following it. Therefore demands of Haryana Chief Minister, Mohan Lal Khattar’s resignation are not misplaced. In fact if anyone is to blame for Haryana’s bloodbath it is the state government and its administration’s failure to comprehend, assess and take adequate steps to control the violence that the state witnessed over a rapist and his unholy deeds.

As for the godman, the countdown began with  an anonymous letter written  by a devotee, way back in 2002.

The letter claimed that Gurmeet Ram Rahim raped and sexually exploited women followers in his den. This particular devotee wrote that she  had joined the congregation and devoted herself to the service of Ram Rahim. She lived at Dera Sacha Sauda, the sect’s headquarters housed in  a sprawling campus on the outskirts of Sirsa town in Haryana, 300 km from Chandigarh.

Roughly translated as a ‘place of truth’, Dera Sacha Sauda was started in 1948 by an ascetic named Mastana Baluchistani. The sect has a huge following: some  four crore followers mostly from the lower castes. The sect has found a lot of acceptability amongst women and families as it preaches against drugs and alcoholism.

It was in 1990 that the mantle fell on Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. The Dera reached a low ebb when his film MSG: Messenger of God was released. The movie featured  him as a swashbuckling hero in bejewelled costume riding motorbikes and sending bad guys flying. It is the same hero who is in the eye of a storm and accused of rape, castration of followers, arms training and being a suspect in a murder case.

Despite that, the sect leader continues to enjoy popularity to the extent of his followers holding a state government to ransom and indulging in arson, violence and destruction.  

Even while sentencing him to 20 years jail, the Court observed that the victims revered Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on the pedestal of God but he committed breach of the gravest nature, by  raping two of his "gullible and blind followers".

Ram Rahim’s following is not restricted to common men and women. In fact he drew his strength from political patronage cutting across party lines.

In 2017, Singh publicly announced his support to the BJP-Akali Dal alliance ahead of the Punjab assembly polls and he has previously called his followers to support the BJP in the Haryana assembly elections. His call is said to have tilted the favour in BJP’s favour.

In 2007, he  helped the Congress in Punjab assembly polls. His son is married to the daughter of Punjab Congress leader Harminder Singh Jassi.

Ram Rahim is not the first or the last among god men to have received political patronage. There have been many in the past revered by Prime Ministers. Indira Gandhi was a disciple of yoga guru Dhirendra Brahmachari while Narasimha Rao and Chandrasekhar were  followers of Chandraswami. While the yoga guru wielded immense clout, Chandraswami was allegedly a wheeler dealer and had several court cases against him.

The latest in that league is Baba Ramdev who during Modi’s tenure has had a spectacular rise. A major player in the business of consumer products, he has given many credible companies a run for their money. His brand Patanjali has registered a staggering growth since Modi’s ascent to power given that he is believed to have a hotline to the Prime Minister and several of his Cabinet colleagues and Chief Ministers of BJP ruled states.

It is at this point that one needs to question the pampering of godmen by politicians. It is here where the rot begins and then spreads to consume the entire system and polity of a nation smitten by self styled gurus  who claim to be God’s own men. The common men and women in search of inner peace can well have their reasons for flocking to these godmen but politicians have no justification for paying obeisance simply to swell their vote-banks.

Worse still, they are aware that behind the mask of religion is a world of sleeze and wrong doing but they turn a blind eye to the goings-on. In fact they are hand in glove with the dirty deals which gives criminals like Ram Rahim a free run to pay havoc with the system and bend it at their will. This also checkmates the possibility of the law taking its course and stopping saffron robed gurus in their tracks and generating fear among those who would otherwise raise a banner of revolt.

That the letter written in 2002 against Ram Rahim’s was anonymous bears testimony to the fact that the average person cannot stand up to those in power and opts for a life of subjugation. As against this, criminals like Ram Rahim rule the roost and hob nob with politicians in what clearly is a mutually beneficial relationship.

The writer is a senior Indian journalist, political commentator and columnist of The Independent. She can be reached at: ([email protected]

Saga of the godman

What is ironic is these men on rampage had literally walked into Panchkula armed with lathis, petrol cans and ammunition

It all began with a godman being convicted. Haryana, a state in north India under BJP rule burnt. There was large-scale violence and mayhem that even engulfed its neighbour, Punjab. And all this over a controversial godman who was held guilty by a special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Panchkula, Haryana. The Court had, in its verdict, convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of rape. Given that the quantum of punishment was reserved over the weekend, the situation in both the states remained tense. But having burnt its fingers once and coming under sharp attack from all quarters, the Haryana government could not take any chance the second time around. Whether it was caught napping or wilfully turned a blind eye is a question mark but the streets turned bloody with 30 people dead after the godmans followers took to the streets, setting vehicles, railway stations and other public buildings on fire and clashing with security forces and injuring over 250 people. Many parts of the state remained under curfew while parts of Indias capital city New Delhi were also put on high alert. What is ironic is these men on rampage had literally walked into Panchkula armed with lathis, petrol cans and ammunition all under the eye of the Police but the forces simply did not stir. The fact that on the day the quantum of sentence was pronounced, all remained peaceful only lends credence to the fact that had the government wanted it could have prevented the destruction or checked the convergence of hordes of people who were preparing to attack in the event of the verdict going against their God. So to say or pretend that the Government was caught unawares is neither credible nor convincing. In any case, any government worth its salt must be ahead of a crisis rather than following it. Therefore demands of Haryana Chief Minister, Mohan Lal Khattars resignation are not misplaced. In fact if anyone is to blame for Haryanas bloodbath it is the state government and its administrations failure to comprehend, assess and take adequate steps to control the violence that the state witnessed over a rapist and his unholy deeds. As for the godman, the countdown began with an anonymous letter written by a devotee, way back in 2002. The letter claimed that Gurmeet Ram Rahim raped and sexually exploited women followers in his den. This particular devotee wrote that she had joined the congregation and devoted herself to the service of Ram Rahim. She lived at Dera Sacha Sauda, the sects headquarters housed in a sprawling campus on the outskirts of Sirsa town in Haryana, 300 km from Chandigarh. Roughly translated as a place of truth, Dera Sacha Sauda was started in 1948 by an ascetic named Mastana Baluchistani. The sect has a huge following: some four crore followers mostly from the lower castes. The sect has found a lot of acceptability amongst women and families as it preaches against drugs and alcoholism. It was in 1990 that the mantle fell on Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. The Dera reached a low ebb when his film MSG: Messenger of God was released. The movie featured him as a swashbuckling hero in bejewelled costume riding motorbikes and sending bad guys flying. It is the same hero who is in the eye of a storm and accused of rape, castration of followers, arms training and being a suspect in a murder case. Despite that, the sect leader continues to enjoy popularity to the extent of his followers holding a state government to ransom and indulging in arson, violence and destruction. Even while sentencing him to 20 years jail, the Court observed that the victims revered Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on the pedestal of God but he committed breach of the gravest nature, by raping two of his gullible and blind followers. Ram Rahims following is not restricted to common men and women. In fact he drew his strength from political patronage cutting across party lines. In 2017, Singh publicly announced his support to the BJP-Akali Dal alliance ahead of the Punjab assembly polls and he has previously called his followers to support the BJP in the Haryana assembly elections. His call is said to have tilted the favour in BJPs favour. In 2007, he helped the Congress in Punjab assembly polls. His son is married to the daughter of Punjab Congress leader Harminder Singh Jassi. Ram Rahim is not the first or the last among god men to have received political patronage. There have been many in the past revered by Prime Ministers. Indira Gandhi was a disciple of yoga guru Dhirendra Brahmachari while Narasimha Rao and Chandrasekhar were followers of Chandraswami. While the yoga guru wielded immense clout, Chandraswami was allegedly a wheeler dealer and had several court cases against him. The latest in that league is Baba Ramdev who during Modis tenure has had a spectacular rise. A major player in the business of consumer products, he has given many credible companies a run for their money. His brand Patanjali has registered a staggering growth since Modis ascent to power given that he is believed to have a hotline to the Prime Minister and several of his Cabinet colleagues and Chief Ministers of BJP ruled states. It is at this point that one needs to question the pampering of godmen by politicians. It is here where the rot begins and then spreads to consume the entire system and polity of a nation smitten by self styled gurus who claim to be Gods own men. The common men and women in search of inner peace can well have their reasons for flocking to these godmen but politicians have no justification for paying obeisance simply to swell their vote-banks. Worse still, they are aware that behind the mask of religion is a world of sleeze and wrong doing but they turn a blind eye to the goings-on. In fact they are hand in glove with the dirty deals which gives criminals like Ram Rahim a free run to pay havoc with the system and bend it at their will. This also checkmates the possibility of the law taking its course and stopping saffron robed gurus in their tracks and generating fear among those who would otherwise raise a banner of revolt. That the letter written in 2002 against Ram Rahims was anonymous bears testimony to the fact that the average person cannot stand up to those in power and opts for a life of subjugation. As against this, criminals like Ram Rahim rule the roost and hob nob with politicians in what clearly is a mutually beneficial relationship. The writer is a senior Indian journalist, political commentator and columnist of The Independent. She can be reached at: ([email protected]