Blinded by their faith and unshakeable trust in self-styled godman Kaushalendra Prapannacharya Falahari Maharaj — who has been arrested for allegedly raping a young law intern — the family of the victim never paid heed to stories casting doubts on the Baba’s character till it happened to their own girl.
Lewd comments
Speaking to The Hindu over phone, the uncle of the survivor recalled how they had heard several stories, directly and indirectly, about the Baba passing lewd comments on his young women followers, but never actually believed them.
The uncle, a journalist, said their families were staunch followers of Baba and, therefore, people usually did not discuss such stories in their presence.
“Still we heard a few stories, but never paid attention to them. We dismissed them as stories concocted by those jealous of Baba’s growing popularity,” recalled the uncle, who has been Baba’s follower for almost three decades.
However, the family was left shattered when the girl revealed her ordeal, 20 days after the incident in August. The girl slipped into depression and her father was gripped by suicidal thoughts, said the victim’s uncle.
He added that the matter was discussed and deliberated among the most staunch followers of Baba in Bilaspur before the family eventually decided to report the matter to the police.
‘We discussed impact’
They discussed the possible impact of the case on the girl's career and social life. There was also allegedly a suggestion to just warn Baba and not report the matter to the police. “But being a journalist, I suggested that we pursue it legally,” said the uncle, who now suspects there could be more such cases.
Days before she told her parents, the victim had alluded to the incident to her brother, who works with a private bank in Delhi. He then posted on social media cautioning people against the self-styled godman. It alerted Falahari Maharaj as well, and he called the girl's uncle to find out whether the family had any hint of the incident. But the family had no knowledge about it then and Baba was rest assured.
Political connections
After the zero FIR was registered at Bilaspur, the family ensured most of the legal formalities and probe was done by the Chattisgarh Police itself before it was transferred to Alwar. “We knew how well connected Baba was. We feared the Rajasthan Police might not conduct a fair probe,” said the uncle.
