“The urge to save humanity is almost always only a false-face for the urge to rule it. Power is what all messiahs really seek: not the chance to serve. This is true even of the pious brethren who carry the gospel to foreign parts.” – HL Mencken
India is a land of spiritualism. However, the irony is that the same land has seen some of the most un-spiritual and irreverent babas, who have been accused of crimes and have even been convicted.
Fake babas are just a curse for the society. They don’t just hamper the growth of the society but also help increase heinous criminal activities. But, are these babas capable of doing such things alone? The answer probably is negative.
So, who are responsible for these babas becoming the superstars of the masses? One of the factors responsible for their success is the common mass itself – a large portion of whom lack love,care, sympathy in their lives which these so-called babas seemingly provide. But here too, the babas deceive them.
The problem is not only about babas hampering the growth of society. It is even worse. On a small scale, they have often been accused and even exposed for several criminal activities like murder, robbery, threat and even sexual abuse. But, the cover of ‘spirituality’ and the support from the masses have led them to be regarded highly, despite all this. Often, these babas have links with political parties and the system – and this often enables them to escape the charges.
In this regard, some of the famous babas who were later exposed are:
1. Rampal- Rampal is said to have 25 lakh followers mainly based in Haryana, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. He has faced several cases such as contempt of court and even murder.
2. Asaram Bapu- Commonly called bapuji by his followers, he was the follower of Advaita Vedanata. He has faced cases of both rape and murder
3. Gurmeet Ram Rahim- He is the head of the group Dera Sacha Sauda and was also active in the music and flim industries. He had been accused of rape and murder, and is currently jailed.
Cases have also been lodged against people like Nithyananda and Nirmal Baba.
Regarding the cure of this problem, legal action against these babas unless:
1. Their followers are forced or pacified.
2. They commit crimes which are reported.
So, the question here is, how can we stop this malpractice? The answer is simply to be aware about the common people about these babas and make them understand how much harm the babas can do.
Only when there’s enough awareness will the problem be eradicated from society.