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Indian
spiritual guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim -- seen here on January 5, 2015 -- heads the
Dera Sacha Sauda organization based in Haryana state ©Chandan Khanna (AFP)
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Indian police said they are
investigating a popular self-styled godman for allegedly encouraging 400
followers to undergo castrations at his ashram so they could get closer to god.
AFP reports the country's top crime fighting
agency has registered a case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim, known as the "guru
in bling" for his penchant for garish clothes and jewellery, over the
operations in the country's north.
The Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) said in a statement late Wednesday Rahim is being investigated for
criminal intimidation and causing grievous bodily hurt, saying 400 castrations
were allegedly carried out.
The guru, who heads the Dera Sacha
Sauda organization based in Haryana state, is already facing trial for
conspiracy over the murder of a journalist in 2002 along with claims of
sexually exploiting female followers.
The latest case was filed after one
of his devotees, Hans Raj Chauhan, lodged a complaint in court alleging he was
manipulated into having the "painful" operation at the ashram.
"They were told that only those
who get castrated will be able to meet god," Chauhan's lawyer, Navkiran
Singh, told AFP on Thursday.
"We will put all the facts of
the case to the court and seek compensation for the victims."
He said doctors carried out the
castrations over a period from 2000, but for years his client had been too
scared to come forward.
The court asked the CBI to undergo
an investigation into the alleged castrations.
Forty-seven-year-old Rahim could not
immediately be contacted for comment.
The Dera Sacha Sauda says it is a
social welfare and spiritual organisation with millions of followers in India
and abroad.
On its website, the group describes
Rahim as a saint as well as an author, inventor, scientist, philosopher,
philanthropist, peace activist and "the ultimate humanitarian".
Rahim also stars in an action movie
to be released later this month called "MSG: Messenger of God" in
which the guru fights criminals, sings songs and is shown dousing himself in
water in slow motion after a rugby game.
India has been rocked by numerous
scandals involving popular godmen who are mostly Hindu ascetics claiming to
possess mystical powers.
In November, police arrested Baba
Rampal Maharaj after a long and violent siege at his ashram in Haryana when he
refused to comply with court orders in a murder case.
In a bizarre case, devotees of a
dead guru are fighting a court battle in Punjab state to preserve his body in a
freezer, insisting he is only meditating.
For many Indians, gurus play an integral role in
daily life. They say they offer a pathway to enlightenment in return for
spiritual devotion and often give donations to ashrams, temples and charity
projects.
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