How Haryana 'godman' Rampal became 'famous'

CHANDIGARH: Born in a family of farmers in Sonipat's Thanana village, Rampal Dass, has come a long way from being an engineering diploma holder to self-proclaimed "jagat guru", who has hogged attention for defying the Punjab and Haryana high court for weeks now. Even as the state government battles with his followers in Barwala, Rampal continues to evade arrest apparently because he is aware that a clash and controversy in 2006 only made him well-known and added to the number of his followers.

As the preacher's own website boasts, "The government seized Satlok Ashram in Karontha... put Saint Rampal Ji Maharaj and some of the followers into jail. In this way, in the year 2006, Saint Rampal Ji Maharaj became famous."

Born on September 8, 1951, he worked for 18 years in the irrigation department of Haryana, last as a junior engineer. The photograph of Rampal on his official website has him posing in dark-coloured coat over a Chinese-collar shirt, indicating that the babu in him has survived the "sadhna". The godman also traces his "lineage" directly to Kabir, the 15th century Bhakti movement saint from UP.

He resigned from the government service in 1995 and became a full-time preacher. Rampal did not spare anyone from his verbal attacks right from "gurus, saints and acharyas" to former chief minister and other politicians, and judges in high court and the Supreme Court who did not pass favourable orders.

It was in 2006 when Rampal, for the first time, publicly raised objections to certain parts of the "Satyarth Prakash", a book written by Arya Samaj founder Swami Dayanand Saraswati in 1875, and considered its central text. Soon, a bloody battle between his followers and members of Arya Samaj, in which one person was killed and 59 injured, catapulted him to regional fame.

The violence forced the Haryana government to seize the Satlok Ashram set up by the preacher in Karontha village of Rohtak district. Even after the SC told the state government to return the place, Rampal set up his base in Barwala after coming out of jail in 2008, as Hisar has less population of Arya Samajis.

Then, there have been cases related to the land of his first ashram in Karontha built by Bandi Chhor Mukti Trust and attack on Chhudani Ashram.