The Rise And Fall Of Sant Rampal: From ‘Descendant Of Kabir’ To Life Imprisonment

Despite the Godman’s huge follower base, Rampal's life was fraught with controversies and he faced several criminal charges over the years

Outlook, India/July 22, 2024

Founder of the Satlok Ashram and the Kabir Panth religious sect, self-styled Godman Sant Rampal first made headlines during a violent clash in 2006. The conflict began when Sant Rampal made derogatory remarks about Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of the Arya Samaj, openly opposing his teaching which led to violent confrontations between Rampal's followers and Arya Samaj supporters, resulting in one death and several injuries. Rampal was arrested and charged with murder but was released on bail after 21 months in 2008.

Born Rampal Singh Jatin in Sonepat district in 1951, Sant Rampal was a junior engineer in Haryana's irrigation department before he turned to spirituality. Initially devoted to Hindu deities like Hanuman, Krishna, and Khatushyam, Rampal felt unfulfilled until he met Swami Ramdevanand of the Garib Das sect, who told him true salvation couldn't be attained through traditional Hindu practices.

Rampal studied spiritual texts like the Bhagavad Gita and Kabir Sagar, finding support for Ramdevanand's views. In 1993, Ramdevanand asked Rampal to start delivering sermons, and in 1994, named him his successor. Gaining local popularity, Rampal resigned from his engineering job in May 1995 to focus on his spiritual mission. Rampal later began claiming he was a descendant of Kabir.

Rampal claims to have performed miracles, stating that "thousands of people have got their chronic illnesses cured" and "ruined families have become prosperous again" after coming into contact with him. His followers believed in these miracles, with practices centred around the milk which was used to bathe him. This milk was later made into kheer prasad, which they considered essential for the miracles. A follower, Manoj told The Indian Express that the milk poured on Rampal during meditation was believed to imbue the kheer with miraculous properties. Another follower, Krishan, added that the kheer contained the "fruit of his meditation."

On his website, “Jagat Guru Rampal ji”, cites an incident when during communal meals at the ashram, attendees ate multiple times a day. Despite the large numbers and heavy consumption, followers did not experience the need to defecate or urinate, believing that special herbs in the food caused it to be fully absorbed by their bodies. He said this reinforced their faith in Rampal's supposed miracles.

Despite the Godman’s huge follower base, Rampal's life was fraught with controversies. Over the years, he faced charges including unlawful assembly, rioting, illegal confinement, and contempt of court. In November 2014, when he refused to surrender to police at his fortified Satlok Ashram in Barwala, Haryana, his supporters clashed with police, preventing their entry. Rampal was eventually arrested and taken to Chandigarh for trial. He was acquitted of charges on December 20, 2022.

In 2018, Rampal was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of four women and a child. The deaths occurred near his Satlok Ashram in Haryana in 2014 during clashes between Rampal's supporters and police, who had come to arrest him in a separate murder case. He is currently serving the life imprisonment sentence.

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