After Asaram Bapu, more allegations have surfaced against Kripalu Maharaj. A person who goes by the name of ‘insider’ for the fear of his life, has sent in the following note:
“I was an insider (I mean a real insider) in Kripalu Maharajji’s organization. I was extremely devoted to him and to his organization and had many spiritual experiences and great spiritual insights. I later found out that spiritual experiences arise out of your own sincerity and efforts and have nothing to do with the so-called guru or teacher. After all, God or Krishna (call him what you will) is still there, and He responds to sincere seekers regardless of how big a fraud the teacher is.

My heart was broken and I was annihilated when slowly but surely, the fraudulent nature of Kripalu Maharajji’s mission became known to me. There were many, many examples of corruption of the mission that came before me, before I took the extremely difficult step of renouncing this teacher and organization. I could write a book on this, but I’ll simply sum-up some key points for those of you that have an open mind on such things. Trust me (actually trust yourself), without willingness to stand-up for the truth, you will never get anywhere spiritually.

1. Kripalu Maharaj definitely has an obsession with sex, although he teaches others that there is no ‘anand’ in this world. There have been many instances of very creditable reports and charges against him. Most of these are from very good and sincere people that are bastions of the community and really sincere to God. However, modesty, embarrassment and the fear of a powerful organization that could hurt makes them hesitate to speak out. The father of the girls from Nagpur that took the case against him all the way to the Indian Supreme Court was a rare and very brave exception. This father could have settled easily for large amounts of money that Kripalu’s organization would have been too willing to pay to end this case. That he and his daughters fought and are still fighting for justice shows that they are not motivated by money or fame. They just want justice!

2. This is how it works today. To sit in Maharajjis presence, to touch his feet, to have coffee with him, to drink charanamrit and even to be hit by his slippers means that there is a charge. They call it ’seva,’ but basically nothing is free. Have a chappal hit you and enjoy the ‘grace’ of ‘chappal seva, ‘ then pay $100 for the privilege!

3. However, there is one special ’seva’ open only to women. A secret ’seva’ called ‘charan seva’ that is free. For this, Maharajji’s preachers take all the unknowing women into the room where Maharajji is lying on his bed. The lights are dimmed and the women surround him and press his body. The most attractive women are positioned around his pillow and within reach of his hands. The lights are then turned-out completely, giving Maharajji the chance to grope the pretty women close to him. If they do not pull back, they are invited to stay behind!!

4. Maharajji’s children and grand-children often travel with him at the cost of ‘devotees’ donations. Their slightest wishes, no matter how materialistic are again fulfilled at ‘devotees’ expense. Huge sums of money are raised through ’sevas’ with little if any accounting of where it goes while no expense is spared for the ‘divine family.’ Any spiritual person can tell that this family is quite materialistic and have no spiritual virtues. Maharajji himself is driven around India in a Mercedes.

5. Brainwashing is accomplished by telling ‘devotees’ to not read or listen to any other teachings and to limit their association with only ‘devotees.’ Maharajji wears special scents to create the impression that his body exudes divine fragrances and the entire field of senses is used to create the aura of divinity. His publicity department is the most professional and his preachers claim that he is the most divine descention ever, greater even than Krishna or Rama!

6. In Trinidad, Maharajji’s organization is called Radha Madhav society. It’s head in Trinidad is called Didiji. She is yet another fraud whose last organization in Oklahoma had to be shut down because of many sexual allegations against her and her relationship with Kripalu Maharaj. Even her web-site was erased so that nothing embarrassing about her would come out.

Does this organization do any good? Well yes, probably the hospitals in India (I think) do some good and if ‘devotees’ use the temples of this organization only to help in their own search for God they are indeed benefited (once again, because of their own sincerity and efforts). But if you get too close, your pockets will get picked and your efforts towards God will be changed to efforts for and only for Maharajji. Also, please keep your women out of his room!

Is this organization uniquely corrupt? Oh no! All Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Jewish, Parsi etc organizations are corrupt to a large degree. Buddha said that ‘I point out the moon to you and you turn around and worship my finger!’ As soon as the truth is spoken, the followers start corrupting. But in this case, this has gone much too far and too many wonderful, well meaning people who have given everything for God have been badly hurt! Have no fear of speaking out! See how bravely the woman from Guyana has spoken, and earlier how bravely the father and girls from Nagpur have too! Please do not further victimize these victims by saying that they want publicity or want to strike a deal. These are great, brave women whom I salute!

God cannot be separate from the truth, and the truth is that Maharajji is a fallen saint (not an eternal one). There is no joy in saying this, but rather sadness. It is a sacred duty to truth and dharma.”

There are also other numerous stories around him that exist on the net. I think its time when Kripalu talks to these in an open platform and resolve the differences.

Sri Sri Ravishankar Ashram

Hot off the tip line: a former Art of Living teacher explains why he found Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s incessant plotting for ever-increasing amounts of money and fame to be nothing more than a sick cult-propagation scam:

Dear Guruji, fellow teachers and volunteers,

My name is [redacted] and I am an Art of Living teacher in [redacted], USA. I have been involved with Art of Living since 2002 and became a teacher at the Canadian Ashram in the summer of 2005.

I am writing to you today to say that I can no longer sincerely continue as a representative of the Art of Living organization. The reason is simply that I am not inspired by the organization any more. I do not connect with, do not agree with and cannot support in the future:

1) the increasing corporization of the Art of Living organization

2) the intensifying promotional push on all fronts

3) the increasing course fees making it so difficult for many people who need help to participate in programs

4) the pressure on participants in AOL to raise and donate funds

5) the hype and myth creation used for indoctrination

6) the effective undermining of people’s self-trust and making them dependent in an infantile way on idealized images of the guru and his special abilities, and a perception of inferiority relative to him

7) the misrepresentation of the placebo effect as the result of the speciality and uniqueness of the practices or the grace of a person

the ongoing emphasis on specialness of the organization’s leader and his omniscience

9) the resultant cultish atmosphere within AOL and the possibilities for manipulation of all sorts

10) the focus on organization growth and perpetuation rather than the advancement of the people involved and deeper self-inquiry

11) the lack of transparency and accountability for the use of funds, projects implemented, etc.

12) the organization’s acting increasingly like a business in the guise of a non-profit

13) the frivolous use of exaggeration and misrepresentation of facts in promotional efforts (as to the scale of humanitarian efforts or the scientific evidence for the benefits of the practices, for example)

14) the conflict between encouraging people to donate a dollar a day to support poor children, etc. and staying in the presidential suites at expensive hotels (e.g. Ritz-Carlton), flying first class, etc.

The list can continue, but there is no point in that. The fact is that I no longer feel I can stand behind the Art of Living Foundation and its efforts. There is an inherent conflict between my perceptions of the organization and its real goals, and my position as its representative. Therefore, I resign from this position with relief.

I do not regret any of the past, but I feel I need to continue my path outside of the confines of Art of Living. I am grateful for my experiences with the organization in the last few years, but I cannot sincerely invite people I care about into it in the future.

If I am making any errors in my assessment, they are solely my responsibility and I am ready to face the consequences of such errors. I realize that this message may create some discomfort somewhere and may generate passionate reaction. I am also aware how the points I am making above can readily be explained away with references to my ego, ignorance, lack of commitment, wrong priorities, etc. All that is fine. Things be as they may, the fact is that this is how I feel currently and this is the action my heart propels me to do. That is the same heart that brought me into Art of Living in the first place. I have nothing else to trust.

Why am I doing this in such a public way then? Because that is what my conscience is telling me to do. Because there may me others who may feel this way but feel compelled to follow the party line at the expense of severe internal conflict. Perhaps this can help them feel not alone or afraid to speak out. Perhaps eventually this may help put AOL back on track – yes, in my perception of what the track should be, but I have nothing else to go by but my perception. As do all of us.

Color us wildly and self-righteously justified in bringing you the truth: the Art of Living org is nothing more than a cult scam, and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is the lowest form of fame-whoring fauxru known to the modern world at this time.

Is it really Art of Living or is it Art of Lying? or Leaving?

Sri Sri 420? Quite likely

Mumbai police officers stand on a roughly made watchtower near the Gateway of India monument on New Year’s Eve, 2008

Disrepair of Police Forces and Lack of Accountability Contribute to Rights Violations

The Indian government should take major steps to overhaul a policing system that facilitates and even encourages human rights violations, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. For decades, successive governments have failed to deliver on promises to hold the police accountable for abuses and to build professional, rights-respecting police forces.

The 118-page report, “Broken System: Dysfunction, Abuse and Impunity in the Indian Police,” documents a range of human rights violations committed by police, including arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and extrajudicial killings. The report is based on interviews with more than 80 police officers of varying ranks, 60 victims of police abuses, and numerous discussions with experts and civil society activists. It documents the failings of state police forces that operate outside the law, lack sufficient ethical and professional standards, are overstretched and outmatched by criminal elements, and unable to cope with increasing demands and public expectations. Field research was conducted in 19 police stations in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and the capital, Delhi.

“India is modernizing rapidly, but the police continue to use their old methods: abuse and threats,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “It’s time for the government to stop talking about reform and fix the system.”

A fruit vendor in Varanasi described how police tortured him to extract confessions to multiple, unrelated false charges:

“[M]y hands and legs were tied; a wooden stick was passed through my legs. They started beating me badly on the legs with lathis (batons) and kicking me. They were saying, ‘You must name all the members of the 13-person gang.’ They beat me until I was crying and shouting for help. When I was almost fainting, they stopped the beating. A constable said, ‘With this kind of a beating, a ghost would run away. Why won’t you tell me what I want to know?’ Then they turned me upside down… They poured water from a plastic jug into my mouth and nose, and I fainted.”

Read additional accounts from victims of police abuse.

Several police officers admitted to Human Rights Watch that they routinely committed abuses. One officer said that he had been ordered to commit an “encounter killing,” as the practice of taking into custody and extra-judicially executing an individual is commonly known. “I am looking for my target,” the officer said. “I will eliminate him. … I fear being put in jail, but if I don’t do it, I’ll lose my position.”

Almost every police officer interviewed by Human Rights Watch was aware of the boundaries of the law, but many believed that unlawful methods, including illegal detention and torture, were necessary tactics of crime investigation and law enforcement.

The Indian government elected in May has promised to pursue police reforms actively. Human Rights Watch said that a critical step is to ensure that police officers who commit human rights violations, regardless of rank, will face appropriate punishment.

“Police who commit or order torture and other abuses need to be treated as the criminals they are,” said Adams. “There shouldn’t be one standard for police who violate the law and another for average citizens.”

Human Rights Watch also said that while not excusing abuses, abysmal conditions for police officers contribute to violations. Low-ranking officers often work in difficult conditions. They are required to be on-call 24 hours a day, every day. Instead of shifts, many work long hours, sometimes living in tents or filthy barracks at the police station. Many are separated from their families for long stretches of time. They often lack necessary equipment, including vehicles, mobile phones, investigative tools and even paper on which to record complaints and make notes.

Police officers told Human Rights Watch that they used “short-cuts” to cope with overwhelming workloads and insufficient resources. For instance, they described how they or others cut caseloads by refusing to register crime complaints. Many officers described facing unrealistic pressure from their superiors to solve cases quickly. Receiving little or no encouragement to collect forensic evidence and witness statements, tactics considered time-consuming, they instead held suspects illegally and coerced them to confess, frequently using torture and ill-treatment.

“Conditions and incentives for police officers need to change,” Adams said. “Officers should not be put into a position where they think they have to turn to abuse to meet superiors’ demands, or obey orders to abuse. Instead they should be given the resources, training, equipment, and encouragement to act professionally and ethically.”

“Broken System” also documents the particular vulnerability to police abuse of traditionally marginalized groups in India. They include the poor, women, Dalits (so-called “untouchables”), and religious and sexual minorities. Police often fail to investigate crimes against them because of discrimination, the victims’ inability to pay bribes, or their lack of social status or political connections. Members of these groups are also more vulnerable to arbitrary arrest and torture, especially meted out by police as punishment for alleged crimes.

Colonial-era police laws enable state and local politicians to interfere routinely in police operations, sometimes directing police officers to drop investigations against people with political connections, including known criminals, and to harass or file false charges against political opponents. These practices corrode public confidence.

In 2006, a landmark Supreme Court judgment mandated reform of police laws. But the central government and most state governments have either significantly or completely failed to implement the court’s order, suggesting that officials have yet to accept the urgency of comprehensive police reform, including the need to hold police accountable for human rights violations.

“India’s status as the world’s largest democracy is undermined by a police force that thinks it is above the law,” said Adams. “It’s a vicious cycle. Indians avoid contact with the police out of fear. So crimes go unreported and unpunished, and the police can’t get the cooperation they need from the public to prevent and solve crimes.”

“Broken System” sets out detailed recommendations for police reform drawn from studies by government commissions, former Indian police, and Indian groups. Among the major recommendations are:

• Require the police to read suspects their rights upon arrest or any detention, which will increase institutional acceptance of these safeguards;
• Exclude from court any evidence police obtain by using torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment in suspect interrogations;
• Bolster independent investigations into complaints of police abuse and misconduct through national and state human rights commissions and police complaints authorities; and
• Improve training and equipment, including strengthening the crime-investigation curriculum at police academies, training low-ranking officers to assist in crime investigations, and providing basic forensic equipment to every police officer.

Selected Accounts from ‘Broken System’

“She was kept in the police station all night. In the morning, when we went to meet her, they said she had killed herself. They showed us her body, where she was hanging from a tree inside the police station. The branch was so low, it is impossible that she hanged herself from it. Her feet were clean, although there was wet mud all around and she would have walked through it to reach the tree. It is obvious that the police killed her and then pretended she had committed suicide.”

- Brother-in-law of Gita Pasi, describing her death in police custody in Uttar Pradesh in August 2006

“We have no time to think, no time to sleep. I tell my men that a victim will only come to the police station because we can give him justice, so we should not beat him with a stick. But often the men are tired and irritable and mistakes take place.”

- Gangaram Azad, a sub-inspector who heads a rural police station in Uttar Pradesh state

“They say, ‘investigate within 24 hours,’ but they never care about how I will do [that]; what are the resources. … There is use of force in sensational cases because we are not equipped with scientific methods. What remains with us? A sense of panic surrounds our mind that if we don’t come to a conclusion we will be suspended or face punishment. We are bound to fulfill the case, we must cover the facts in any way.”

- Subinspector working near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

“Often, it is our superiors who ask us to do wrong things. It is hard for us to resist. I remember, one time, my officer had asked me to beat up someone. I said that the man would be refused bail and would rot in jail and that was enough punishment. But that made my officer angry.”

- Constable in Uttar Pradesh

“With all the mental stress, the 24-hour law-and-order duty, the political pressure, a person may turn to violence. How much can a person take? … We have to keep watch on an accused person, their human rights, but what about us? Living like this 24 hours. We are not claiming that our power makes us born to work all the times. Sometimes we beat or detain illegally, because our working conditions, our facilities are bad. So we are contributing to creating criminals, militants.”

- Inspector in charge of a police station in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh