Battle at Hisar ashram holds an important lesson: don't let charlatans get away with their lies

It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what one finds most galling about Sant Rampal of the Satlok Ashram of Barwala, Hisar, Haryana.

That, by professing to be an incarnation of Kabir, he has profaned the 15th century weaver of Varanasi, who urged humanity to find god as the ultimate truth not through rituals or superstition, but inside oneself?

That he evades arrest, thumbs his nose at the courts, and his ashram is defended from police action with acid bulbs and hurled rocks?

That he seems to be able to conjure up huge crowds, and these crowds seem willing to risk life and limb for him?

Engage with faith

For a society constantly in ferment over the “hurt sentiments” of some group or the other, the situation in Hisar is a case fit for declaring that our sentiments are hurt. How did the administration allow such a situation to build up? Why are godmen among the most protected category in our society, either by Z-plus arrangements or by avid devotees?

Such questions seethe inside the people accustomed to wearing their faith lightly or not at all. They strike deep at our belief in our democracy. While some of these feelings may find expression for a few days on social media and in print, we will get back to business as usual in another few weeks. We will take the Hisar histrionics in our stride as one more example of the demented democracy that is India.

That will be a huge pity, because one of the many reasons why Sant Rampal and his Satlok Ashram saga unfolded is our refusal to engage with issues of faith.

Diverse pilgrims

When I set out to write Bol Bam: Approaches to Shiva, it was driven by my intense curiosity about the lakhs of people who crisscross the country on arduous pilgrimages every year. I had already been among the pilgrims on many journeys before I began travelling for the book in 2010. I had been at the Mahakumbh, to Tirupati and Pandharpur, at Mathura on Janmashtami, to Puri, Kedarnath and Rameshwaram.

Such journeys had shown me that the numbers setting out to meet god each year were only increasing. From the poorest and most disadvantaged to the well-heeled and well-connected, people were finding a way to trek out of their comfort zones and undertake all kinds of hardships in order to connect with a Higher Power.

I saw that this vast catchment of believers represented immense power in the hands of those who could carve them into big chunks of followers, to be offered as vote banks at the time of elections. When Baba Ramdev first began to talk of corruption at his yoga camps in 2010, as I saw him do at Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh, he was preparing for the 2014 election. When Narendra Modi approached Baba Ram Rahim of the Dera Sacha Sauda for support in 2014, he was hoping to win over at least a couple of crore votes.

Be counted

What makes a man like Rampal begin to be regarded as a “Sant”? By many accounts in the public domain, he is actually unable to read or speak Hindi or English properly, even the scriptures he is supposed to be quoting. The cases against him relate to July 2006, when his followers were engaged in bloody battles with the neighbouring villagers who have traditionally been Arya Samaj followers. In those skirmishes too, firing from inside the ashram was reported, which resulted in a death. Since the case went to court, Baba Rampal has failed to turn up on 43 occasions in four years. Yet, with all these charming qualities, he is able to be called a "Sant" on TV channel debates.

How did we let things get this skewed? In the late '70s, a film by Swiss film director Cristina Perincioli was revealingly titled The Power of Men is the Patience of Women. If Sant Rampal and others like him are stronger around us, it is at least partly our fault. Being neutral, secular and silent, banding only with those who share our opinions, secretly considering the multitudes thronging ashrams to be “brainwashed”, we are allowing such men and their political collaborators to get away.

It is time to sit up and say, in a clear, carrying voice, “Actually, I believe in Krishna/Kabir/Christ/Nanak/Ambedkar/this democracy/our Constitution (appropriate to the occasion). That’s how I know you are a liar and a cheat.”

Jan Lokpal practical undemocratic: Aruna Roy

New Delhi: Jan Calling Lokpal Anna Hazare of Bill "impractical and difficult," said social activist and National Advisory Council (NAC) member Aruna Roy said that the administration of widespread powers to an unelected body is a "threat to democracy."

"Jan Lokpal bill is unenforceable. It derails the checks and balances between the judicial, executive and other organs of the democratic structure," Roy, 65, who pioneered the right to information (RTI) movement in the country, told IANS in an interview.
Jan Lokpal practical undemocratic: Aruna Roy


"Not that we agree with the government's bill Lokpal. Lokpal legislation must be fully conscious again by activists, legislators and other stakeholders.

"We, of course, support for the democratic right to hold demonstrations Hazare and fast against the government. That is why we condemned the arrest of Hazare" he said.

"But we have a meeting with them, though hold meetings including in meetings and events of common interest," he said.

Asked about the large Hazare has attracted public support, Roy said: "There have been mass rallies in support of NGO-sponsored agitation, as the Narmada Bachao No advertising may be similar, as live TV was not there then .. "

Roy and his fellow activists of the National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI) have prepared an alternate version of the bill Lokpal, which will be submitted to the Standing Committee of parliament.

Roy, a Magsaysay award winner, said Jan Lokpal bill is an "exercise of a giant, complicated," as they sought to extend from the first minister to a pawn.

"He wants to take the higher courts in your area, which otherwise should have been according to the Judicial Responsibility and Standards Bill, 2010," he said.

It was felt that the suggestion of the dual duties - to curb corruption and repair damage - under the Lokpal Jan was not feasible.

"The Lokpal Jan is a threat to democracy as a powerful and unelected agency can lead to abuse of power and abuse of authority. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely," he joked.

"Mitigating complaint should not be the role of Lokpal, but must be the work of the executive.

"Behold, the wages of hundreds of thousands of workers in the NREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) in Rajasthan have not been paid. But that is due to the shortage of banks and other bureaucratic hurdles, "he said.

The massive organizational settings suggested in Lokpal Jan will lead to corruption and inefficiency, he said.

"You may be able to find 11 members Lokpal integrity, but it is difficult to create a clean implementation of thousands of employees and hold them accountable," said Roy.

The government drafted Lokpal is also deficient in several fronts, he said. Because it excludes cases in state, there can be an investigation into the cases as the scandal of society Adarsh ​​housing scam Commonwealth Games and the illegal mining in Karnataka.

She said that excluding the prime minister and the higher courts were wrong. "This was wrong. No one should be above the law," he said, adding that there must be safeguards. "Since both the Lokpal and the Supreme Court should agree on an investigation against the prime minister."

Roy also suggested that court rules and Accountability Bill should be reviewed to facilitate the adoption of effective measures against the superior courts, while the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) should be strengthened to investigate the minor officials.

Bill whistleblowers protection should also be revised to meet the increasing attacks and threats against RTI activists, he suggested.

"Lokpal Bill should not become a matter of inflexible positions, political rivalries and personality disturbances engine. What we need is an honest and detailed discussion of the legislation of a huge social importance and public concern" he said.

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