Telepreacher sued for spurring men to emasculate themselves
LONDON: A man has been accused of encouraging hundreds of followers to be castrated in a promise for them to become closer to God.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, an Indian pop star and telepreacher with a reported wealth of more than $50 million (R587m), is being investigated after he allegedly manipulated around 400 men to get their testicles removed, according to India Today.
One of his former followers who underwent castration seven years ago, Hans Raj Chauhan, is one of the few to break the silence to speak out against him and the group.
“(The victims) were told that only those who get castrated will be able to meet God,” Chauhan’s lawyer, Navkiran Singh said, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Chauhan, 35, filed a petition against the guru in 2012 and the Central Bureau of Investigation has started looking into claims dating back as far back as 2000 in preparation of charges of grievous bodily harm.
However, many followers are believed to be in fear of speaking out.
In January, MailOnline reported how Singh, the head of the Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) organisation, had hit back at the allegations.
At a media conference for his new film, he said: “Such allegations disturb me, when I am doing good for humanity. Therefore, me and my legal adviser are going to move the court challenging the allegations.”
The alleged castrations were said to have been carried out mainly at a hospital run by the DSS in Singh’s ancestral village, Gurusar Modia, in the Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan.
The DSS also owns factories, markets, farms, restaurants and hotels, and runs schools and orphanages, according to Latterly Magazine.
Singh – who has more than 87 000 Twitter followers but is not a follower of anyone – describes himself on a social media bio as a “spiritual saint/philanthropist/versatile singer/allrounder sportsperson/film director/art director/music director/scriptwriter/lyricist/autobiographer/DOP”. – The Independent
Victims told they had to be castrated
to meet God