Despite the police claiming they had adequate evidence in support of the rape charge against self-styled godman Kaushalendra Prapannacharya Falahari Maharaj, his followers maintained that the allegations made by the alleged victim were difficult to believe.
Daulat Ram, the Deputy Director (retired), Industry Department, Rajasthan, one of the staunch followers of Falahari Maharaj, said he was associated with the godman for around three decades since he first decided to settle in Alwar in 1990.
Veda classes
“The Baba used to frequently visit Alwar in the 1980s to hold spiritual discourses. He eventually settled in Alwar after his followers insisted. I remember going around the city with him on rickshaws and sometimes on a scooter. He didn’t have a single penny then. Gradually he gained popularity and the number of followers and donations grew,” claimed Mr. Ram.
“Going by his conduct over the past three decades, it is difficult to believe what the woman is alleging. But only the woman and Falahari Maharaj know the truth. Now it is for the court to decide the case,” he said.
Hari Om Somvanshi, who manages the ashram’s accounts, claimed the godman has several thousand followers across 12 States and even abroad. He also runs a school, which boasts a strength of 88, to teach Vedas to students who are mostly in their teens. The students are conferred a degree at the end of the course.
Terming the rape allegation against the godman as “baseless”, another follower Om Prakash Sharma claimed that Falahari Maharaj did not allow men or women to touch him.
‘No one touches him’
“He touches men and women with a stick. No one is allowed to touch him,” said Mr. Sharma, claiming that the allegation seemed to be a well-thought conspiracy against the godman. He said the Baba had asked a few followers at his Chhattisgarh ashram to leave after they were caught stealing, adding that this could be a conspiracy hatched by them to defame him.
Jagdish Singal, another follower, claimed the victim’s family was very close to the godman and that Falahari Maharaj had even helped them resolve a dispute over land worth several crores using his contacts.