SunstarTV Bureau: India has been always land of spirituality and peace. The sacred land helps many people to devote themselves on God’s lotus feet. But that was a thing of past. Now, more and more scandals are tumbling out of closets of many self-styled spiritual leaders. From alleged rape cases to sexual assaults to murders, the controversies surrounding such ‘Gurus’ seem to be unending.
So here are the top 5 list of Controversial spiritual Gurus:
Gurmeet Ramrahim singh
He was accused of raping his female followers. Next he is going through a conspiracy case of murdering a journalist who wrote against Dera. After the approval of his debut film “Messenger of God”, then Censor Board head, Leela Samson resigned as a protest. Sikh groups and government of Punjab went against his Deras after he wore attire resembling the tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh, so they banned his Deras in Punjab. On 25 August 2017, a special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Panchuka convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of raping 2 ‘Sadhvis’ (female followers), in 2002. On 28 August 2017, a special CBI Court in Rohtak Jail sentenced him 20 years of rigorous imprisonment in two rape cases filed between 1999 and 2002.
Radhey Maa
Radhey Maa always called by her devotee as the incarnation of Maa Durga. She ‘blesses’ them with an impromptu dance routine. As the most controversial godwoman of recent times she took the limelight with her extra evoked nature. Shocking red dresses, over-the-top makeup, and gold trident makes her stand out among all spiritual leaders. Sukhwinder Kaur aka Radhe Ma has been accused of dowry harassment by a Mumbai woman. Niki Gupta, in a complaint filed in 2016, accused Radhe Maa of instigating her in-laws to harass her for dowry. In an another incident, a Gujarat family of 7 committed suicide after spending crores on Radhe Maa and not getting anything in return.
Swami Nityananda
Swami Nithyananda has been in news for a long time but all for wrong reason. In 2010, a video showing the godman and a Tamil TV actress in compromising position surfaced on local news channels in Bangalore. Though he maintained he was merely practising ‘Shavasana’, the police didn’t believe so and arrested him in Himachal Pradesh. Cases of rape, criminal intimidation and cheating among others have since been filed against the godman based on various complaints. There were reports that condoms, drugs and other contrabands were recovered from his ashram.
Sant Rampal
If you think that only the followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh are bringing Panchkula to a grinding halt, think again. In 2014, a godmen raised his own troop of army in bid to escape from an arrest in murder charges. In an unprecedented way, the followers of Sant Rampal made a human shield around his Satlok Ahsram in Barwala, Hisar to prevent police from arresting their Guru. However, the standoff ended after police stormed the ashram and arrested him.
Asaram Bapu
Asaram Bapu has legions of followers who regularly plead his innocence on Twitter. The godman, who was once known for fetching flower headgear and playing Holi with his followers, was convicted in Jodhpur jail on Monday. The self-styled Guru was found guilty of raping a teen at his Jodhpur ashram. According to media reports, there are nearly ten cases pending against Asaram and his son Narain Sai in courts in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. Both father and son face charges of rape and killing children for occult practices. Strangely, what has baffled many are the deaths of many eyewitnesses, who could have sealed the fate of the spiritual leader. If reports are to be believed, three witnesses have been allegedly killed by unidentified attackers.
