Reacting to the recent conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on rape charges, the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), the apex governing body of 13 major akharas (organisations of Hindu sants) in the country, has decided to seek government action against ‘fake’ gurus and self-styled ‘godmen’ who dupe the gullible.
“Ram Rahim Singh is not a real mahatma or mahant. There are too many fake mahatmas and babas roaming about fooling the people. They don't belong to any akhara or tradition. They need to be stopped,” said Mahant Narendra Giri, head of the ABAP. “The menace of ‘fake babas’ has brought a bad name to the seer community,” he added.
The ABAP will also take steps to bar the entry of ‘fake babas’ into the 13 akharas, which wield a great deal of influence over the faithful, especially during the Kumbh Melas.
The ABAP will pass a resolution on the matter on September 10 in its meeting in Allahabad. The body will then hand over a memorandum to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, urging him to take action against a list of ‘fake babas’ who don’t qualify as members of any akhara or tradition. It is also likely to pressurise the government to not allocate land to unrecognised, self-styled babas at the next Ardh Kumbh Mela (held every six years) in Allahabad.
To keep ‘fake babas’ from occupying spiritual posts in the akharas, the ABAP plans to make the process of selecting the mahamandaleshwars (spiritual heads) of akharas tougher. Mahamandaleshwars will henceforth be selected after a proper interview and a background check of their financial history and criminal antecedents, if any. Mr Giri said that the interviews would be conducted by the acharya of each akhara.
The ABAP will also demand a probe into the property and belongings of all the babas not affiliated to any akhara or tradition. Mr Giri said he had no problem with the sadhus anointed by the akharas or bodies affiliated to them.
“Our only issue is with the self-styled babas. They spread filth, and later we find that they have rape cases against them. They defame us. You will never find the ones from the akharas doing such things,” he said.
The term ‘akharas’ literally means ‘wrestling ring’ but it refers to the religious orders of Hindu sants. There are 13 existing akharas belonging to different denominations, including the Shaivite and Vaishnavite sects. They enjoy a high spiritual standing among Hindu seers, and participate in the ‘shahi snans’ or ‘royal holy dip’ at the Kumbh, Ardh Kumbh, and Maha Kumbh Melas. The akharas are also given preference in land allocations during the Melas.