Rampal

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For other uses, see Rampal (disambiguation).

Rampal
Spiritual Leader Jagatguru Saint Rampal Ji Maharaj.jpg
Born
Rampal Singh Jatin

(1951-09-08) 8 September 1951 (age 70)
Dhanana village, Punjab (now Sonipat, Haryana), India
Other namesBaba Rampal, Sant Rampal, Rampal Dass, Satguru Rampal Maharaj
EducationDiploma in Civil Engineering
Alma materGovt. Polytechnic Nilokheri
OccupationLeader of religious sect
OrganizationSatlok Ashram
PredecessorSwami Ramdevanand
Criminal statusin prison for Murders[1] Under trial for Sedition[2]
Conviction(s)Murder, 11 October 2018[3]
Criminal chargeMurder, Sedition[2]
PenaltyLife imprisonment[3]
Capture status
Arrested
Details
CountryIndia
State(s)Haryana
Date apprehended
19 November 2014
Imprisoned atHisar Central Jail[4]
Websitejagatgururampalji.org

Rampal (born Rampal Singh Jatin; 8 September 1951) is a religious leader accused of two murders. In 2018, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. He is a follower of Kabir's writings.[5][3] He is GaribDas Panthi, a Panth which is connected to Kabir Panth, and his Guru (master) is Swami Ramdevanand. He was initiated into that Panth on February 17, 1988. In 1994, Swami Ramdevanand chose him the successor of the GaribDas Panth. He claims that Kabir is the Supreme God.[6][7][8]

In 2006, Rampal publicly objected to certain parts of Satyarth Prakash, a central book of Arya Samaj.[9] In July 2006, a violent confrontation between the followers of Arya Samaj and the Rampal supporters at Satlok Ashram in Karontha led to death of an Arya Samaj follower. Rampal was charged with murder and arrested. After spending several months in jail, he was released on bail in 2008. In November 2014, the court ordered his arrest on a contempt of court case.[10][11] However, the presence of fifteen thousand of his followers in his Satlok ashram premises at Barwala,[12] allegedly confined by his aides,[13][10] prevented the police from arresting him for several days. He was finally arrested on 19 November 2014 after violent clashes between his followers and paramilitary police forces that led to death of 6 people.[12] Rampal was charged with murder, sedition and wrongful confinement and arrested. He was acquitted of the charges of wrongful confinement in court on 29 August 2017.[12] On 11 October 2018, Rampal along with fourteen of his followers were convicted of two cases of murder by the Hisar court.[1] All the convicts were sentenced to life imprisonment along with a Rs 2 Lakh fine each in both the cases.[3][5]

Early life[]

Rampal was born in Dhanana, a village in the Gohana tehsil of Sonepat district, Punjab (part of Haryana since 1966). His father Nand Lal was a farmer, and his mother Indira Devi was a housewife.[14][15][16]

He obtained a diploma in Civil engineering from Govt. Polytechnic Nilokheri, and then worked as a junior engineer in the Government of Haryana's Irrigation department.[17] In 1995, he resigned from the job.[16][18]

Rampal is married to Naro Devi. They have two sons and two daughters. The family lived in the Barwala ashram until the siege.[16]

Initiation into Yatharth Kabir panth[]

According to his official biography, Rampal was an ardent devotee of the Hindu deities Hanuman, Krishna and Khatushyam. He states that he never achieved salvation, well-being or peace as a result of this devotion. One day, he met Swami Ramdevanand, a spiritual leader of the Kabir panth. Swami Ramdevanand told him that he could not attain salvation through the prevalent religious practices, which were a "false web" spread by the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, along with their parents Brahm ("Kaal Niranjan") and Durga ("Ashtangi Aadi Maya").[19]

Rampal states that he then studied several spiritual books, including Bhagavad Gita, Kabir Sagar, Sat Granth by Garib Das, and "all the Puranas". He claims to have found evidence supporting the statements of Swami Ramdevanand in these books. He claims that he started an intense jaap (meditative repetition of naam or god's name), after which he started experiencing "mental peace and extreme happiness".[19]

In 1994, Swami Ramdevanand asked him to start preaching.[19] He gained local popularity by touring various villages and cities in Haryana. He became so busy that he resigned from his job in May 1995.[19] His resignation was formally accepted in 2000, with effect from 1995.[19]

Satlok Ashram[]

In 1999, Rampal founded the Satlok Ashram in Karotha village of Rohtak district, drawing on his following from within the Kabir panth. At that time, he lived in Shastri Nagar of Rohtak with his wife and two sons; his two daughters had married.[14]

During the 2000s, he established several other ashrams, and gained followers in Rohtak and Jhajjar districts of Haryana.[9]

Court case[]

In 2006, Rampal raised objections to certain parts of Satyarth Prakash, the central text of the Arya Samaj religious sect. He termed these parts as "impractical and anti-social". This angered the followers of Arya Samaj, who surrounded his ashram, eventually resulting in a clash between the followers of two sects on 12 July 2006.[9] During the clash, one person named Sonu was shot dead, and 59 more were injured.[20][21][22] Rampal was charged with murder and attempted, and jailed for 22 months. His followers claim that he was falsely implicated in the case. Rampal was forced to vacate the Karontha ashram.[20]

Another complaint of forgery was filed against him a day after the 2006 clashes. According to this complaint, the sale of land for his Karontha ashram was fabricated using impersonation.[21] Rampal's followers claim that they had no role to play in this impersonation, and the person who sold the land was at fault.[23] On 1 May 2018, the court acquitted Rampal and his followers Rajender and Ravinder Dhaka in the land grab case registered in 2006.[24]

After Rampal was released on bail in 2008, he set up his base in Barwala, Hisar.[9] In 2009, the High Court returned the Karontha ashram to him.[25][26] An appeal against the judgement was filed by Haryana government and Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, but was rejected by the apex court in February 2013.[27] On 1 May 2018, Judicial Magistrate Harish Goyal of Rohtak Court acquitted Rampal and three others in Karontha Ashram land forgery case and rather held the complainants guilty.[28][29]

After obtaining bail, Rampal did not appear in court regularly, for trial in the murder case.[30] His followers were inside the karontha ashram when Arya Samaj-affiliated villagers in an attempt to attack the ashram clashed with the police protecting the ashram in May 2013, which resulted in death of 3 people and around 100 people were injured.[31][32] Unable to check the villagers, the police forced Rampal followers to leave the Karontha ashram, and move to Barwala ashram. Arya Samaj activists demanded his arrest and trial.[33] On 14 May 2014, he appeared in the Hissar court through a video link. On this occasion, his followers entered the court premises and created chaos.[34] Rampal is a controversial preacher but has large number of followers in Haryana state of India and in other parts of Northern India.[35]

In July 2014, Rampal's followers again tried to disrupt the court proceedings.[15] In September 2014, Rampal was asked to appear before the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh, in a contempt of court case. The local administration imposed Section 144 and deployed 2,000 police personnel to prevent his followers from entering the city. Despite this, thousands of followers gathered in the city, although Rampal did not appear before the court.[36]

During 2010–14, Rampal skipped court hearings 42 times.[37] He was given 'exemption from appearance' by the court to maintain the law and order situation.[38][39] In 2014, the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued non-bailable arrest warrants against him after his followers were alleged of disrupting court's proceedings.[40] When the police tried to detain him on 9 November, his followers formed human chains outside the Satlok Ashram to prevent the police from arresting him. The police tried to initiate a dialogue, and asked him to surrender.[30] Rampal's followers announced that the police will have to kill more than 100,000 followers before arresting him.[41]

By 18 November, his Satlok ashram in Hisar was protected by thousands of his followers who wielded lathis, sticks and other fire arms. The ashram was also protected by thousands of women devotees who blocked the entrance for several days, which prevented the police from entering it. They were allegedly confined to the premises by his aides.[42] More than 20,000 security personnel and police forced their way into the ashram, but they could not find Rampal for arrest.[43][44] The police used earth movers to break wall on rear side of ashram to find him, but were opposed by large number of followers who injured 28 police personnel in an effort to halt their entry.[45] The bodies of five women and an 18-month-old child were found in his ashram.[46][47]

Rampal was arrested on the night of 19 November 2014, along with more than 900 of his followers, on charges including sedition, murder, attempt to murder, conspiracy, hoarding illegal weapons and aiding and abetting suicide-mongers.[47][48][49] A special court of Hisar, Haryana, on 26 July 2021 released Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj and 4 others of all the charges and held them acquitted in the Drugs and Cosmetics case.[50][51]

Conviction[]

On 29 August 2017, Rampal was found not guilty and acquitted in two cases related to wrongful confinement and obstruction of duty by Hisar court, yet, he continued to remain in judicial custody as the cases of murder and sedition were still ongoing.[2]

On 11 October 2018, Rampal was found guilty of murder in two cases with FIR no. 429 and 430. Both cases pertain to the death of five women and an eighteen-month-old infant at his Satlok Ashram in Barwala in 2014 during clashes between his supporters and police.[52] On 16 October 2018, all the convicts were sentenced to life imprisonment along with ₹2 Lakh fine each for the case 429 of murder of four women during the Satlok standoff.[3] Additional District and Sessions Judge D.R. Chalia pronounced the punishment for Rampal and fourteen of his followers of life imprisonment and also a fine of ₹1 lakh each was imposed separately for murder and criminal conspiracy. The convicts were also awarded a sentence of two years imprisonment and fined ₹5,000 each for wrongful confinement. The jail terms were pronounced to run concurrently.[3]

FIR no. 430 pertains to the murder of woman and infant who died in the hospital. The court in Hisar on its verdict of 11 October, held Rampal and 13 other accused, guilty. On 17 October, all the accused were sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of ₹2 lakh for this case.[5]

Teachings[]

Rampal claims to be an incarnation of Kabir, whom he considers to be the supreme god.[53][54] He claims that all the major religious scriptures — including Vedas, Gita, Quran, Bible and Guru Granth Sahib — name Kabir as the supreme god.[55] Some of his followers consider him an incarnation of Kabir.[15]

Rampal preaches against temple visits, Dowry, idol worship, donations, untouchability, adultery and "vulgar singing and dancing". He is strictly against the consumption of tobacco and alcohol as he believes that it incurs great sin and causes immense suffering in next lives.[56]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Self-styled godman Rampal convicted in two murder cases". The Hindu. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "'Godman' Rampal found not guilty by Haryana court in 2 criminal cases, no judgment yet on murder charge – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Sant Rampal, 14 others sentenced to life for murder of four women". The Hindu. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  4. ^ "Highlights: Rampal case verdict: Self-styled godman acquitted in two criminal cases, to remain in jail". Hindustan Times. 29 August 2017. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  5. ^ a b c "Self-Styled Godman Rampal, In Jail For Murder, Gets Another Life Term". NDTV. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Self-styled 'godman' Rampal in deep trouble, faces fresh murder charges". DNA India. 21 November 2014.
  7. ^ "Rampals army was armed to the teeth". Times of India. 21 November 2014.
  8. ^ "Rampal: How did an engineer become a revered guru?". BBC India. 19 November 2014.
  9. ^ a b c d Deepender Deswal (13 May 2013). "Rohtak clash: Sant Rampal triggered it". The Times of India.
  10. ^ a b "Indian Guru Rampal arrested after deadly ashram clashes". BBC India. 19 November 2014.
  11. ^ "रामपाल व समर्थकों की बंदूकें कोर्ट लेकर पहुंची पुलिस, वकील बोले-सभी खाली थीं". Dainik Bhaskar (in Hindi). 31 March 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  12. ^ a b c Vasudeva, Vikas (29 August 2017). "Sant Rampal acquitted in two criminal cases". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  13. ^ "rampal charged with murder rioting". NDTV. 21 November 2014.
  14. ^ a b Singh (14 May 2013). "Rampal and his religious engineering". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014.
  15. ^ a b c "Who is godman Sant Rampal". Mint.
  16. ^ a b c Varinder Bhatia; Dipankar Ghose (23 November 2014). "Sant Rampal: From the most followed, to the most wanted". Indian Express. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  17. ^ "From a junior engineer to a brazen baba". Hindustan Times. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
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  19. ^ a b c d e "Saint Rampal Ji – Biography | Jagat Guru Rampal Ji". www.jagatgururampalji.org. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
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  22. ^ रामपाल को पेशी से छूट मिलने की समीक्षा, Haryana Mail, 17 September 2013
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  24. ^ "Rampal, 2 others acquitted in 2006 land fraud case – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  25. ^ आखिर कौन हैं बाबा रामपाल, naidunia, 18 Nov 2014
  26. ^ कौन है यह स्वयंभू संत रामपाल, जिसने राज्य को बंधक बनाया, News 24, 18 November 2014
  27. ^ Rohtak village tense over ashram opening, Hindustan Times, 10 April 2013
  28. ^ "Rampal, 2 others acquitted in 2006 land fraud case – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  29. ^ "Rampal acquitted in property fraud case". 2 May 2018.
  30. ^ a b "Rampal followers stand guard outside his ashram in Barwala". The Times of India. 9 November 2014.
  31. ^ 3 killed, 100 injured in Rohtak ashram clash, Times of India, 13 May 2013
  32. ^ Two killed, 115 injured in Rohtak clash, The Hindu, 13 May 2013
  33. ^ रामपाल के खिलाफ तेज किया जाएगा आंदोलन : आर्य रामपाल तथा उसके साथियों पर हत्या का मामला दर्ज करने की मांग, Samay Live, 13 May 2013
  34. ^ पुलिस ने गिराई रामपाल के आश्रम की दीवार, समर्थकों ने खड़ी की सिलेंडरों की कतारें Dainik Bhaskar, 18 November 2014
  35. ^ Bhatnagar, Gaurav Vivek (16 November 2014). "Haryana cuts supply of essentials to Rampal's ashram". The Hindu, newspaper. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  36. ^ Diljot Singh (25 September 2014). "Rohtak sectors head supporters keep Chandigarh on edge". The Times of India.
  37. ^ Deepshikha Ghosh (17 November 2011). "No Will to Arrest Murder-Accused 'Godman': Court Slams Haryana". NDTV.
  38. ^ हाजिरी माफी के चलते रामपाल नहीं हुए कोर्ट में पेश, Jagran, 11 December 2013
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  41. ^ Bhaskar Mukherjee (10 November 2014). "Rampal ashram turns into fortress". The Times of India.
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  46. ^ Six dead in Rampal's ashram in Hisar, not even a single one hurt by police bullets, says Haryana DGP
  47. ^ a b 20 November 2014 'Godman' Rampal arrested, 15,000 followers freed, 492 held for violence, The Times of India
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  49. ^ Ch (28 November 2014). "Rampal arrest cost exchequer a whopping Rs 26 crore". India Today. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  50. ^ "Saint Rampal Ji & Followers Held Acquitted in Drugs & Cosmetics Case". S A NEWS. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  51. ^ "Rampal, aides acquitted in case under Drugs and Cosmetics Rules Act". Hindustan Times. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  52. ^ Varma, Shylaja (11 October 2018). "Godman Rampal convicted in two murder cases, punishment next week". NDTV.
  53. ^ Dharti Par Avtar, Dr. Sardar Surajpal Singh, 4th Ed, March 2011, p. 28
  54. ^ "So who is this godman Rampal after all?". rediff.com. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  55. ^ "Jagat Guru Rampal Ji Maharaj: Holy Books". Kabir Parmeshwar Bhakti Trust. 18 November 2014.
  56. ^ "Fugitive Guru Arrested After Standoff With Police". New York Times. 20 November 2014.

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