Asumal Sirumalani, known as Asaram Bapu by his followers, is a religious leader in India. Starting in the early 1970s, he established over 400 ashrams in India and abroad and has hundreds of thousands of followers worldwide.
Born on April 17, 1941 in Berani village of Nawabshah district in British India (present-day Berani town is located in Jam Nawaz Ali district, Sindh, Pakistan), Asaram’s birthname was Asumal Thaumal Harpalani.
Following the partition of India in 1947, he and his family moved to Ahmedabad, leaving behind their immovable assets in Sindh. There Asaram’s father founded a coal and wood business. Asaram ran this business for a short time after his father’s death.
According to ‘Sant Asharam Bapuji ki Jeevan Jhanki’, an auto-biography published by his ashram, Asaram received his formal education at Jai Hind High School, uptil Grade 3, when his father died.
He had a series of escapades to ashrams which started with running away to an ashram in Bharuch at the age of 15, eight days before his scheduled wedding to Laxmi Devi, which though finally happened. The book also mentions Lilashah as the spiritual guru, who accepted him as her disciple and named him Asaram Bapu on October 7, 1964, in one of his escapades.
Sources have described him to be involved in a variety of professions ranging from selling liquor and tea to repairing cycles, prior to becoming a religious leader. Asaram and Laxmi Devi have two children. Their son Narayan Sai is also a religious leader.
Asaram was mentioned in a list of fake ‘sadhus’ (saints) released last year by Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, the apex organisation of Hindu saints and ascetics.
Other controversial gurus in India
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been accused of rape, murder and ordering forced male castrations. In 2002, a a former Dera sadhvi (female disciple) wrote a letter accusing him of rape and addressed it to the respective Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana, and to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. On August 25, 2017, a special CBI court in Panchkula, Haryana, completed proceedings in the rape case and convicted Ram Rahim. Following the conviction, 38 people were killed and 100 injured in violent protests. On August 28, 2017, the CBI court sentenced him to 20 years in jail.
Rampal Maharaj In 2006, Rampal criticised Hindu sect Arya Samaj. A case was registered against him in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. During 2010-14, he skipped court hearings 42 times. He was given an ‘exemption from appearance’ by the court to maintain the law and order situation, which threatened to get out of hand due to the possibility of his followers flocking into the court. But in 2014, the court issued non-bailable arrest warrants against him. This resulted in violent clashes between his followers and those of Arya Samaj, with an Arya Samaj follower being killed. Rampal was charged with murder and arrested. He was arrested on 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 suicides. On August 29, 2017, Rampal was found not guilty of illegally confining thousands of followers and obstructing police officials in 2014 when they stormed his 12-acre ashram.
Radhe Maa is a controversial, self-proclaimed spiritual leader based in Borivali suburb, Mumbai, Maharashtra. In September, 2017, the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered police to file a First Information Report (FIR) against her. Prompted by recent controversies surrounding self-styled gurus, Radhe Maa was listed among 14 “fake spiritual leaders” by Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, the apex body of Hindu sadhus (saints).
Swami Nithyananda Nithyananda claims to possess paranormal powers of levitation. In 2010, as many as five women accused Swami Nithyananda of abusing them at his ashram. In the same year, he was in jail for 53 days after a sex video scandal. He has been under investigation since television stations aired video footage purportedly showing him fondling two unidentified women in bed.
— Karuna Madan, Correspondent
