Another Godman bites the dust – Rampal follows Asaram Bapu and Nithyanand Swami

Indians are a God-fearing lot and Godmen are born from time to time, Godmen who are experts in the art of exploiting the gullible public in the name of God. The latest addition in this list is Rampal of Hissar after Asaram Bapu and Nithyanand Swami. These three have come into the national limelight but there are innumerable such Godmen in other parts of the country who are able to operate with impunity because of the fear complex of the victims, the superstitious beliefs and the fear of the Gods.
The activities of arrested 'Godman' 63-year-old Rampal and his Satlok Ashram in Hissar has come into focus because of the death of at least five women and an infant in the standoff between his followers and the police. As per reports, another over 200 people were injured in the clashes.
Search operations in his 12-acres farm has produced a whole range of sophisticated arms and ammunition that included a bullet-proof vehicle, an oil-tanker, two tractors and many two-wheelers apart from a huge cache of petrol bombs and acid syringes. The complete complex was highly fortified.
Brief details of arms and ammunitions recovered are three .32 bore revolvers, 19 air guns, two 12 bore double barrel guns, two .315 bore rifles, 28 cartridges of .32 bore, 50 cartridges of 12 bore and 25 cartridges of .315 bore. Moreover, there are many lockers inside the ashram which are yet to be investigated.
Rampal joins the likes of 76-year-old Asaram Bapu who is already in prison and is charged with rape, criminal conspiracy and other offences by a Jodhpur court in connection with alleged sexual exploitation of a minor girl in his ashram in Jodhpur.
Another Godman is Nithyanand Swami – he was caught in a sex scandal with actress Yuvarani in 2010 and had, recently, undergone a potency test at Victoria Hospital, Bangalore for this rape case. The CID officials who are investigating the case are believed to have subjected him to a voice test in order to match it to the available telephone conversation and video.
Satyajit Ray, the renowned film director, had made a film in 1965 on such Godmen – the film was Kapurush O Mahapurush (The Coward and the Holy Man) and dealt with a so-called holy man who was an expert at duping people, even the educated ones.