Members of the Jai Karnataka damaging the banner of Nithyananda Swami in 2010 |  Photo Credit: BCCL

New Delhi: American author Joyce Meyer once said, "We all face storms in life. Some more difficult than others, but we all go through trials and tribulations. That is why we have the gift of faith." Meyer's words stand true to a country like India where people wear their faith on their sleeve. Since the beginning of time, religious identity has been a predominant factor in the lives of Indians who place their trust and beliefs in a higher power.

People often turn to religion to seek answers to questions that are beyond the comprehension of mere mortals. To that extent, India is one of the countries where religious beliefs are considered sacrosanct. However, each coin has two sides and all good things must come to an end. The extent to which religion has been exploited by sections of the society for their own greed is one question India is struggling to answer, even in the 21st Century.

While it is impossible to list every single case where a religious sect or leader misled his/her followers and exploited their faith, it is important to remember the ones who stand exposed and are either absconding or serving time in prison.

Born in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvannamalai, Nithyananda is a self-styled swami who owns a trust which manages temples, ashrams and gurukuls in India and overseas. In 2010, a sex tape of the 'godman' shot by his own former driver was aired on national television. An investigation later revealed that the tape was authentic. A disciple had accused him of sexual harassment in the same year. He was in jail for 52 days in April 2010 before a court granted him bail. He was also accused of raping a female disciple for over a period of five years and a court slapped charges against him under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in 2018. He is currently on the run and reports suggest that he may have fled the country to evade arrest.

[Picture Credits: BCCL]

Lodged at the Jodhpur Central jail, self-styled godman Asaram was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2018 for raping a teenage girl. At the height of his popularity in the 1990s, Asumal Sirumalani Harpalani or Asaram had 400 ashrams operating across India and abroad. Apart from the thousands of people who followed him blindly, Asaram was often visited by politicians, actors and some of the country's most accomplished businessmen.

[Picture Credits: BCCL]

Leader of Sirsa-based sect Dera Sacha Sauda, Gurmeet is currently serving life imprisonment for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. In 2017, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the rape of two female disciples. Such was their belief in him as their leader that Gurmeet's followers triggered widespread violence in the town of Panchkula where a CBI court had issued its verdict in this regard. That violence claimed the lives of 30 people and left hundreds injured. He is currently lodged at the Sunaria jail in Haryana.

[Picture Credits: BCCL]

Founder of the Satlok Ashram and a leader of the Kabir Panth, Rampal was arrested from his ashram in Hisar in November 2014. This was after repeated attempts of the police to take him into custody were foiled by his supporters who attacked police personnel with lathis and other weapons on more than one occasion. At the time of his arrest, the bodies of five women and a baby were recovered from his ashram. Currently, in jail, he is anaccused in at least six other cases.

[Picture Credits: BCCL]

Identified as the kingpin of a high-profile sex racket, Shreemurath Dwivedi was arrested in 2010 and is currently behind bars. A security guard at a hotel in Delhi, Dwivedi gained a mass following as Ichchadhari Bhimanand in 1988.

[Picture Credits: BCCL]

A self-styled godman who ran several ashrams in Tamil Nadu and other south-Indian states was convicted on 13 counts of rape and molestation in 1997. His trial famously involved an illusionist's visit to the courtroom for the purpose of debunking his claims of 'divine powers'. He died in 2011 while at the Cuddalore Central Prison.

[Picture Credits: BCCL]

A household name in Jabalpur and neighbouring areas at one point in time, Vikas Joshi was arrested in 2006 for sexually abusing several girls and filming the incidents. A fast track court convicted him in 2010 and he continues to be in prison.

It would be entirely wrong to state that each man, woman or child who devotes his/her life to religion is corrupt. However, if the past has taught us anything, it is to be careful while placing our faith in anyone who claims to be the child of God. One of the world's greatest sportsmen, ace boxer Muhammad Ali once said, "Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams- they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do- they all contain truths."

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Ungodly tales of godmen: Your faith is sacred! Don't place it in criminals - Times Now