Skip to main content

Incredible India: When rape accused isn't arrested we burn candles, march; when rape accused is arrested we burn the city

By Anand Mazgaonkar*
We should all be extremely grateful to Baba Ram Rahim and Dera Sachcha Sauda for not formally announcing a coup and official takeover of the State of Haryana yesterday. That would indeed have been the first coup within a country and without military, or “outside” support. Actually, they did not need outside support because, in line with swadeshi philosophy, they had enough “inside” support.
For a start, Mr Manohar Lal Khattar and his Government were either asleep or on holiday. In any case, Mr Rajnath Singh was away in Kyrgystan and was forced to rush back. One would almost get the impression that the Home Minister matters in this Government. But rest assured, the situation will return to normal because not a single arsonist is reported to have been detained.
May be, Mr. Khattar did not receive any clear instructions from Delhi or Nagpur or wherever else he draws inspiration from. May be he was awake but either Delhi, or Nagpur, or both were asleep or on holiday. This is not to say the Nagpur folks, the Government or the ruling party were proactively supporting Ram Rahim. They did issue lame, vague, ambiguous, forked-tongued “ninda” as well as “kadi ninda” statements wherever they were pushed by Media. After all, elections are not immediately due in Haryana and they will be able to pull off a deal in time before the 2019 elections.
Ram Rahim’s going to jail, in reality, might be lovely opportunity for the ruling party to do a Tamil Nadu in Haryana. After getting the AIADMK in their pocket on Ms. Jayalalitha’s exit they can dream of doing the same with Dera Sachcha Sauda. Like Jayalalitha blessing them from heaven Baba Ram might well bless them from his cell in Rohtak.
It might be interesting to speculate on Asaram Bapu and Ms. Sasikala’s feelings on the recent turn of events. Could Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s joining them give them hope that ranks are swelling? Would they want to have each other’s company and request to be housed in the same jail? Could Ms. Sasikala be fancying the idea of going out on shopping trips with him? 
They could exchange notes on how they shop for MPs, MLAs and political leaders. Together they could form a Prisoners’ Union demanding equality before law and ask to be treated at par with the Gujarat’s encounter-accused policemen, riot accused, Gua Rakshaks, the Aseemanands, Sadhvi Pragyas and Col. Purohits.
Babas 50 million followers is a compelling argument. No one knows if there’s a formal membership or – like BJP membership – you become a follower just by giving a ‘missed call’ to the Ashram.
But, someone with so many followers having to go jail is an unadulterated tragedy. Following BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj’s advice the Court should have taken the size of his following into consideration. Just as economic liberalisation gives a free run to the Adanis and Ambanis now is the time for Religious Liberalisation. Perhaps, instead of a Uniform Civil Code we could have a Differential Civil Code, or even a Deferential Civil Code listing citizens into separate categories such as:
  1. Vote-Bank Gurus, Corporate Babas, Donor Swamis, Black-magic Mahatmas (exempted from murder, rape, fraud, land-grab crimes)
  2. Politicians, deal-fixers, power brokers (exemption from financial embezzlement, corporate funding laws)
  3. Gau Rakshaks, lynch-mobs (exemption from mob-violence crimes)
  4. Ordinary Citizens (the only category subject to IPC, Cr. PC and all other laws)
If the Government fears any backlash against carte blanche exemption from crime laws they could consider issuing crime coupons to Gurus, Babas and Swamis (much like discount coupons). Swamis and Babas could encash those crime coupons any time they want. Some would, of course, need to buy them in wholesale quantities. 
Obviously, crime coupons would have a GST component, boosting State coffers. The only matter of detail and fine tuning would whether to tax crimes of the Ram Rahims of India at the 5% ‘basic necessity’ rate or 28% luxury rate. But, Mr Arun Jaitley -being the legal luminary he is- would sort that out in a matter of seconds.
The Sakshi Maharajs of the world believe that rape happens because women wear jeans and use mobile phones. Since the Sadhvis were raped and abused in spite of their white clothes, covered heads, and total embargo on any communication with even their own relatives there must indeed be some other failing they had that provoked the Baba to commit his rape. Sakshi Baba can update, upgrade his theory.
Clearly, Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim is the victim deserving the sympathy of politicians of all hues. His only fault may be the his photo trail with powerful politicians who’re now haunted.
Wish raped women had more faith in rapist Babas and their Godliness.

Comments

TRENDING

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan   M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai*  The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

​ By Syed Ali Mujtaba*  ​The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan*  An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative   Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Labour unrest in Manesar trigger tensions: Recently enacted labour codes blamed

By A Representative   A civil rights coalition has expressed concern over recent developments in the industrial hub of Manesar in Haryana, where a series of labour actions and police responses have drawn attention. A statement, released by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), said it stood in solidarity with workers in IMT Manesar and other parts of the country, while also alleging instances of police excess during ongoing unrest.