Forget Charles Manson: why Indian gurus are a cult above the West | This Week In Asia | South China Morning Post

MORE THAN 250 people were injured and 38 died when violence broke out in parts of North India a week ago after a court found a popular guru called Gurmeet Ram Rahim guilty of rape. The guru’s followers ran amok, the local administration failed to control the violence (which had been widely predicted) and three days later, when Ram Rahim was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the verdict was not delivered in any court.

Instead, the judge and his entourage flew to Rohtak jail to announce the sentence. It was considered too dangerous to have any more proceedings in a courtroom because the threat of violence from Ram Rahim’s supporters was so great.

Why should a convicted rapist who claims to be a guru command such fanatical loyalty from his followers that they are willing to run riot in his name?
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There are few other countries where cult leaders command the same kind of influence as India’s gurus. Some of this can be attributed to the global cult phenomenon. But it also has its roots in the Indian tradition of the guru-shishya relationship. Unlike many religions, Hinduism has no clergy, no Vatican-like centre and no pope figure. Instead, the religion requires its followers only to look inward to find peace.

Forget Charles Manson: why Indian gurus are a cult above the West | This Week In Asia | South China Morning Post

See also:  India's gurus or conmen?

'Rampal is a fraudster who exploits the gullible common man' - Hindustan Times

Sanal Edamaruku, India’s ‘miracle buster’, is the president of Indian Rationalist Association and also the Rationalist International based in Helsinki. He was forced to flee to Finland two years ago after several complaints were lodged against him under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code, a British-era law that seeks to punish anyone who, “deliberately and maliciously attempts to harm the religious feelings of another.”

Edamaruku, who has an Mphil degree in international Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, had accused the church of being anti-science and mocked the Pope for condoning exorcism, during a TV debate following his debunking of the case of "miracle" water dripping from a statue of Jesus in a Mumbai church.

He speaks to KumKum Dasgupta on godmen, the ongoing drama around Rampal Maharaj in Haryana, and why godmen thrive in India.

'Rampal is a fraudster who exploits the gullible common man' - Hindustan Times