Gurus, hey.

One of India’s most powerful, with a “god-like status”, is due to appear in court in the north of the country, where over 200 000 devotees have flocked to get a glimpse of him.

As a result, large parts of the Indian states Punjab and Haryana have been placed in lockdown with mobile internet services suspended, reports BBC.

Even schools and offices in the area have been closed, with trains halted, roads blocked and three stadiums set aside as makeshift prisons in case of trouble, officials said.

Damn, so who is this dude? Let’s take a look…

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, 50, is the head of the spiritual sect Dera Sacha Sauda, which was established by Mastaa Balochistani on April 29, 1948.

The sect’s headquarter is in the Sirsa district of Haryana and has over 46 ashrams spread all across India.

On Twitter, Ram Rahim describes himself as:

“Spiritual Saint/Philanthropist/Versatile Singer/Allrounder Sportsperson/Film Director/Actor/ Art Director/Music Director/ Writer/ Lyricist/ Autobiographer/ DOP”

He has worked as an actor, director, music composer and writer on several films – including the highly successful “MSG: The Messenger trilogy” – and currently holds the record for performing most roles and responsibilities in a single film (43 roles and responsibilities in MSG 2).

But there’s more:

Ram Rahim Singh is described by devotees on numerous websites as a saint as well as an author, inventor, scientist, philosopher, philanthropist, peace activist and “the ultimate humanitarian”.

While he “wields considerable political influence and claims to have tens of millions of followers worldwide”, Ram Rahim also has a dark side.

Since 2002, Ram Rahim has become the subject of several controversies, explains Indian Express:

The Dera chief was named in the murder of a journalist murder case dating back to 2002 and the forced castration of some sadhus (holy men) in 2015.

In 2002, an anonymous letter to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, alleged that the sect had sexually exploited two “sadhvis” (holy women) and a case of sexual exploitation was registered against him.

It was also alleged that Ram Rahim warned her not to talk about the incident, threatening her with his political influences in the state.

Now, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Panchkula is set to announce the verdict in the case on this afternoon.

I wonder if he is as guilty as the Bikram founder, or if this is just some form of jealousy.

[source:bbc&indianexpress]