[Postmortem examinations on the victims showed
that two of them, both women, had broken ribs, though they appeared to have
died from a pre-existing illness, said a medical official from the area, who
spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak
publicly.]
By Ellen Barry
 |
|
Baba Rampal Maharaj, 63, who
claims to be the reincarnation of a 15th-century
mystic poet,was brought to court in
Chandigarh, in northern India, on Thursday.
|
NEW
DELHI — The police on Friday began questioning a self-styled Indian
“godman” who was seized after security forces stormed his compound in northern India,
where he had barricaded himself with about 15,000 followers for more than a
week. An extensive cache of weapons was found inside, the police said.
The guru, Baba Rampal Maharaj, 63, who claims
to be the reincarnation of a 15th-century mystic poet, was arrested on Wednesday after
a violent clash at his 12-acre compound in the city of Barwala in Haryana
State. His supporters, lining the ramparts, pelted police officers with stones
as they tried to enter, at one point using a bulldozer to break down a wall.
Scores were injured, and six of Mr. Rampal’s
followers died under uncertain circumstances during the standoff.
Mr. Rampal had repeatedly resisted summonses
to respond to charges of murder and incitement to violence dating to 2006. His
defense lawyer, who appeared in High Court in Chandigarh, the state capital, on
Thursday, argued that Mr. Rampal had been unable to appear earlier because he
was being held hostage inside his compound, or ashram. Mr. Rampal told
reporters that allegations that thousands of people had been kept at the ashram
against their will were false.
“I never used women and children as hostages,”
he told reporters.
The police have registered two cases of murder
based on complaints from family members and are investigating what caused the
six deaths, said Anil Kumar Rao, the inspector general of the police in the
Hisar District, which includes Barwala.
Postmortem examinations on the victims showed
that two of them, both women, had broken ribs, though they appeared to have
died from a pre-existing illness, said a medical official from the area, who
spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak
publicly.
Mr. Rao said searches of the compound had
uncovered an extensive arsenal, including homemade bombs and firearms.
Since Mr. Rampal’s arrest, journalists have
roamed through the guru’s vast compound, where he would deliver sermons in a
hall the size of two football fields, and bless followers across a barrier of
bulletproof glass from a brocade-covered chair known as the throne. The police
told reporters that the chair was attached to a hydraulic lift that enabled him
to rise up from the basement, seemingly from nowhere, to the wonderment of his
followers.
As they exited the ashram, some followers
described eccentric forms of veneration that were practiced inside. Two men
told The Indian Express, a daily newspaper, that during his meditations, Mr. Rampal
was bathed in milk, which was later collected and used to prepare
kheer, a kind of rice pudding, which was then fed to his followers. “The fruit
of his meditation is present in the kheer,” a man who identified himself as
Krishnan told the newspaper.
The police said the guru lived in a five-story
house with “granite tiles, marble floorings, fancy grills, strong doors,
well-equipped bathrooms with modern fittings, split air-conditioners,
flat-screen TVs and even massage beds,” according to IANS, a news service.
Gurus and mystics can be found throughout India,
whose ashrams often include hospitals and schools within their walls. Many of
them cultivate relationships with political leaders, who use them to mobilize
voters during elections, and attract wealthy and influential patrons.
Hari Kumar contributed reporting.
@ The New York Times
*
Indian father gave daughter huge collection of gold jewellery
for wedding
He also wore gold chains worth tens of thousands of pounds at
ceremony
Police sent officers to wedding ensure pair weren't attacked and
robbed
Conspicuous display was branded 'crass' and 'shocking' on
social media
India is one of the world's poorest countries with millions living
in poverty
 |
|
Flaunting her wealth: The
unnamed bride's £400,000 jewellery
collection was widely condemned on social media, with people branding it both crass and shocking |
An Indian sweet maker made
sure his daughter truly was the golden girl on her wedding day by covering her
in gold jewellery worth more than £400,000.
The wedding took place in
the holy city of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh state, with the father of the bride
- whose name has not been released - almost upstaging his daughter by showing
off his own huge collection of his own gold chains.
So conspicuous was the
pair's flaunting of their wealth that the local police force sent a guard of
officers to the wedding to ensure they weren't attacked and robbed as the
wedding party travelled through poverty-stricken neighbourhoods on their way to
and from the ceremony.
Police spokesman Sandeep
Kumar in Tirupati - a holy city known for its famous temple of Lord Vishnu -
confirmed that the man and his daughter had worn gold jewellery throughout the
ceremony.
'It is not a crime to wear
such a large amount of gold, but there could have been a crime once people
heard about it. We just wanted to make sure there were no problems in advance,'
he said.
The father of the bride
reportedly made his millions from selling confectionery in India's southern
Andhra Pradesh state. Neither his nor his daughter's names have been made
public.
The move was widely
condemned on social media sites once the images from a mobile phone was shared,
with people branding it both crass and shocking.
Others said the pair should
be humiliated by so an unapologetic display of wealth in a country where
millions of families struggle to find enough money to feed themselves every
day.
Indians are one of the
world's largest consumers of gold, with wealthy families often spending tens of
thousands of pounds jewellery to wear at weddings and other special
occasions.
Recently several wealthy
Indians have been seen sporting shirts made out of solid gold thread.
In August Pankaj Parakh, a
politician and the owner of a textile business near Mumbai, treated himself to
a shirt made out of solid gold for his 45th birthday.
Weighing four kilos and
costing £127,000, the shirt was 18-22 carat purity and took a team of 20 people
3,200 hours to create.
'Gold always fascinated me
since I was five years old and studying in school. Over the years, I have
become passionate about this royal metal.' Mr Parakh said.
'Yet, for my marriage 23
years ago, many guests considered me an embarrassment as I sported more gold
than the bride,' he added.
