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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Editorial[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Editorial[/FONT]
THE
TEHELKA VIEW
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Sankarshan Thakur[/FONT]
TEHELKA VIEW
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Sankarshan Thakur[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]FRAUD ON FAITH[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]One of the things about faith is that it is intrinsically blind. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of Dera Sacha Sauda isn’t the first man to have reduced it from the sublime to the sordid. History is a rich lesson in fraud’s diabolical masquerades with faith; without that, we wouldn’t have had half our great villains. But that should be no consolation for the bejewelled “maharaj” of Sirsa’s Dera. Each crime brings its own consequences; Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh must prepare to step down from his pedestal-on-wheels and face the law of the land. Layer by layer, over the past couple of months, Ram Rahim has come revealed to us not as God reincarnate — his chosen station — but as a merely earthly megalomaniac who had figured in faith a convenient scheme to indulge his many lusts. The man had created a sin-bin from his high seat using faith on those that remained blind and terror on those who saw the truth. There is evidence, now, coaxed in a dogged investigation by Tehelka reporters, of Ram Rahim’s murky fief — torture, molestation, rape, illegal possession of weapons. There is also, following our investigation, a cbi chargesheet that should be able to extract the Dera’s leader from his fortress and walk him to the dock. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Are there any lessons here for us to learn too? Every once in a while, societies must reckon with themselves in the mirror and deal with the warts. Dealing with Ram Rahim will not see to the warts l’affaire Dera have thrown up. What allowed him unchallenged command of his kinky kingdom? The obeisance of thousands. The allowances of the State. The tolerance of society at large. Time to examine all of these. It cannot be that nobody had a hint of what was happening inside. We are a talkative society, people get to know. What stopped anyone? That Ram Rahim wore a halo? That he had mighty friends and followers? That he could leverage power? Should any or all of those have impeded the rule of law? Mind you, the man still has a following, and a fairly militant one. He will attempt to make that count. Provoke a riot. Unleash bloodshed. Hold the system to ransom. Bigots and cowards of all ilk do that in desperation. Time their bluff was called.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Aug11 , 2007[/FONT]