[India has been rocked by several scandals involving
immensely popular "godmen", mostly Hindu ascetics who claim to
possess mystical powers. Last year one was charged with sexually assaulting a
schoolgirl.]
By AFP
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A portrait of
self-styled 'godman' Rampal Maharaj is pictured on a damaged wall near the main
entrance of his
ashram as Indian policemen keep watch outside in Hisar on
November 19, 2014 ©Sajjad Hussain (AFP)
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Police on Wednesday arrested a guru after a violent
stand-off with thousands of followers at his sprawling ashram in northern
India, where the bodies of four women and a child have been found.
Supporters of self-styled "godman" Rampal
Maharaj, who is wanted on a series of charges including conspiracy to murder,
had guarded the ashram for days armed with stones, petrol bombs and other
weapons after a court ordered his arrest.
Police finally detained him late Wednesday, more
than 24 hours after they stormed the heavily guarded ashram using water cannon
and tear gas.
Ranjit Singh, a local police spokesman, told AFP the
63-year-old had been taken away from the ashram in an ambulance and would be
sent for medical checks before appearing before a court.
More than 100 people are being treated in hospital
after clashes between followers and police who forced their way into the
compound 175 kilometres (108 miles) northeast of New Delhi, where Rampal was
hiding out.
SN Vashisht, the director general of police for
Haryana state, said earlier Wednesday that officers had found the bodies of
four women and a child in the ashram.
The child appeared to have died of natural causes
but it was unclear how or when the four women lost their lives, and a
post-mortem will be performed on their bodies.
Another woman died after being taken to hospital
apparently suffering from a heart condition, Vashisht said.
It remains unclear how many people were holed up in
the ashram with Rampal, but thousands have poured out of the 4.8-hectare
(12-acre) compound since police stormed in on Tuesday.
"There could still be between 3,000 and 4,000
people inside the complex," local police chief Hisar Satender Kumar Gupta
told reporters outside the ashram after the arrest.
"We are making announcements for them to come
out and take buses."
Several people said they had to fight their way out
of the ashram, while police claimed they had been used as human shields to
protect the guru.
"What started as a trickle hasn't yet stopped
and we have dropped off around 10,000 people at nearby bus and train
stations," assistant police superintendent Jashandeep Singh said of the
followers.
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Indian
security officials move towards supporters of controversial guru
Rampal
Maharaj during a confrontation in Hisar on November 18, 2014
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- Deadly 2006 clashes -
Police sought Rampal's arrest after he repeatedly
refused court orders to appear to answer charges including conspiracy to
murder, inciting mobs and contempt of court.
They accuse him of ordering his disciples to fire on
villagers during clashes in 2006 in which one person was killed and scores
injured.
Rampal, a former engineer who considers himself an
incarnation of the 15th-century mystic poet Kabir, denies the charges,
according to a statement on his website.
He claims his hundreds of thousands of followers
across India have had chronic illnesses cured and "ruined families have
again become prosperous" by devoting themselves to his teachings.
Disciples must give up alcohol, smoking, meat, eggs,
adultery and gambling, while singing and dancing is banned along with worship
of "any other god or goddess".
Born in a village in Haryana state to a family of
farmers, Rampal obtained a diploma in engineering and later worked at the
state's government's irrigation department.
Rampal went door to door proselytising on behalf of
a seer called Ramdevanand and, with an ever growing flock of disciples, opened
his ashram in 1999.
India has been rocked by several scandals involving
immensely popular "godmen", mostly Hindu ascetics who claim to
possess mystical powers. Last year one was charged with sexually assaulting a
schoolgirl.
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.
