Rampal Photos

Rampal is a self-styled godman and religiou guru of Kabir panth. He is the founder of a Satlok Ashram, a socio-spiritual movement popular in Haryana. His sect prohibits temple visits, idol worship, untouchability, adultery and "vulgar singing and dancing", among other things. According to Rampal, the Hindu trinity along with their parents have misled people into illusion instead of the worship of Sat Purush (the ultimate god). He instead recommends worshipping Kabir as the supreme god. He claims that all the major religious scriptures — including Vedas, Gita, Quran, Bible and Guru Granth — name Kabir as the supreme god. He claims to be a spiritual successor of Kabir, and some of his followers consider him an incarnation of Kabir. In 2006, Rampal criticised Arya Samaj. This resulted in violent clashes between the followers of two sects, in which an Arya Samaj follower was killed. Rampal was charged with murder, and arrested. After spending several months in jail, he was released on bail in 2008. In November 2014, after he failed to appear in the court multiple times, the court ordered his arrest. However, the presence of thousands of followers, allegedly confined by his aides, prevented the police from arresting him for a few days. The police deployed water cannons as they forced their way into Rampal's ashram after a days'-long standoff. Devotees fought back with guns, rocks and lathis or batons. After the operation to evacuate thousands of Rampal's followers was completed, the bodies of four women who apparently died inside the complex were found. Nearly 10,000 people, many of whom were reportedly being held against their will, were removed from the ashram. But before that, the police had to breach a lengthy human chain of men, women and children in their bid to access Rampal, who is now 67 years old and used his followers as human shields. Nearly 200 people were injured. Some of those evacuated told police they had been held against their will for days, and given little food or water. Rampal was finally arrested on the night of November 19, 2014, along with 492 of his followers, on charges including sedition, murder, attempt to murder, conspiracy, hoarding illegal weapons and aiding and abetting suicide-mongers, arson, rioting, wrongful confinement and preventing government servants from performing their duty. On August 29, 2017, the Haryana court announced Rampal not guilty in 2 criminal cases - of obstruction in the discharge of duty by government officials and of wrongful confinement. On Thursday, October 11, 2018, Rampal was held guilty by a Hisar court in both cases of murder filed against him. The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on October 16 and 17, 2018. The two cases of murder had been lodged in November 2014 at the Barwala Police Station of Hisar in Haryana.

TOI

rampal