Ascetics’ apex body brings out a list of 14 ‘fake godmen’

Lucknow: The Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), the apex body of sages and seers, has released a list of 14 fake godmen after a special meeting held in Allahabad on Sunday. The ABAP said that it felt it was necessary to identify the black sheep among the ascetics in order to save other ascetics from disgrace. At the meeting held in the Baghbari Math in Allahabad, 26 sages, representing 13 akharas, were present. They called for a total boycott of the blacklisted godmen.

The Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), the apex body of saints and seers, has released a list of 14 fake godmen after its special meeting held in Allahabad.

The ABAP said that it felt it was necessary to identify the black sheep in the saint community and save the saints form disgrace. At the meeting held in the Baghbari Math in Allahabad, 26 saints representing 13 Akharas were present. The saints have called for a total boycott of the blacklisted godmen and asked people to beware of them. Mahant Narendra Giri, who heads the ABAP, said the blacklisted godmen would not be given any facilities during religious events, including Kumbh and Ardh Kumbh, and neither would they be allowed to mingle with the saints and seers.

The Akhara Parishad also plans to launch a campaign to expose such fake godmen, he said. The list of fake godmen releases by the ABAP on Sunday includes the names of Asaram Bapu, Radhey Maa a.k.a. Sukhwinder Kaur, Sachchidanand Giri, Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim, Swami Om a.k.a. Vivekanand Jha, Nirmal Baba, Ichchadhari Bheemanand, Aseemanand, Om Namah Shivay, Ram Pal, Malkan Giri, Kushi Muni and Narain Sai.

Accused godmen Asaram Bapu, Narain Sai, Rampal and Gurmeet Ram Rahim are already in jail on various charges that include rape and murder.