Rampal Singh Jatin @ Rampal, cult leader
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Rampal: A self-styled godman who was once an engineer
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Early life
Born Sep 8, 1951, in Dhanana village near Gohana town of Haryana's Sonipat district, Rampal came from a family of farmers, his official website claims.
Though he got a Diploma in engineering and became a JE, he was of a religious nature. Controversial sect leader Rampal, whose supporters on Tuesday battled the police, was once a junior engineer with the Haryana government.
Till the year 2000, Rampal was Rampal Singh Jatin, a dowdy junior engineer (JE) with the Haryana irrigation department.
After he was found 'careless' about his work, Rampal submitted his resignation. This was finally accepted in May 2000 with effect from May 1995.
Cult
After quitting, Rampal devoted himself full time to becoming a cult leader. On becoming a cult head he assumed the name Satguru Rampal Ji Maharaj.
Rampal is popular among a section of people, mostly from the lower strata of society. He preaches them not to worship gods, not to fast and not to indulge in other practices that the Hindu religion follows.
In 2014 refused to appear before the high court despite non-bailable warrants being issued against him. Nov 2014: His followers fought pitched battles with security forces who were closing in to arrest him as per high court directions.)
Rise as cult leader
In 1988, Rampal took Naam Updesh from Kabir Panthi Sant Ramdevanand.
By 1993, Rampal was addressing satsangs.
In 1999, Rampal sets up Satlok Ashram in Rohtak’s Karontha village while in govt service.
Rampal's Satlok ashram in Karontha, Rohtak, Haryana (Photo by Getty Images)
Rampal started setting up ashrams across Haryana, including his current location at Barwala.
Rampal's hostility with Arya Samajis started from 2000 when he made derogatory remarks against Swami Dayanand Saraswati.
Material wealth
Rampal heads a dera or cult worth Rs. 100 crores and owns a fleet of luxury cars, including BMWs and Mercedes and lives an ashram in Barwala, Haryana, spread over a sprawling 12 acres.
He is said to own property in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and also in Delhi
The ashram is said to have air-conditioned rooms for important followers of Rampal and even lecture halls equipped with LED screens for the self-styled Godman, who has a Facebook page and a Youtube channel where recordings of his sermons can be viewed.
Following
Rampal is said to have over 25 lakh followers in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Delhi.
His Facebook page recorded over 2,000 new likes in just one day in Nov 2014 after the standoff with the police started.
Controversies
Controversies are nothing new for Rampal.
He was forced to vacate his ashram in Karontha in Haryana's Rohtak district, which was established in 1999, following clashes with religious groups in July 2006.
In this clash at the Karontha ashram in 2006, one person died from bullet wounds. The police charged Rampal with murder. His sect claims that he was falsely implicated in the murder case.
Rampal's supporters and followers had indulged in vandalism when he was going to a court in Hisar town July this year. The Punjab and Haryana high court took suo moto notice of the incident and summoned Rampal.
However, the godman failed to appear before the high court, forcing the court to issue non-bailable warrants against him Nov 5, 2014. He was supposed to appear before the court Nov 10 and later on Nov 17 but he did not turn up, citing medical reasons.
Skirmishes with the law
Rampal has been to jail on the charge of murder and is out on bail. When his original ashram in Rohtak, also in Haryana, was attached, he relocated his headquarters to Barwala. Another ashram is under construction in Barwala not far away.,
In 200-14, he skipped court 43 times.
Rashtriya Samaj Sewa Samiti (R.S.S.S.): Rampal’s army
R.S.S.S. functions like an army battalion divided into several companies & platoons.
Each company and platoon is headed by trained commanders.
During the standoff with the state police in Nov 2014 they assembled every morning and evening to be briefed about day’s routine. Armed with pistols, R.S.S.S.’s Quick Reaction Team patrol ashram round the clock.
Intelligence wing monitors police movement in adjoining Barwala and Hisar towns.
The Intelligence wing relays information to ashram HQ. What cops were up against were: Armed men, acid tankers, crude bombs, petrol bombs, oil, empty bottles
4,000 men from Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Haryana guard ashram 24x7
They are armed with sophisticated pistols and guns
Rampal’s army dress in black and are strategically deployed over the 12-acre sprawl
Rampal's army communicates via walkie-talkies
Rampal’s rambos are controlled from a war room in the ashram
The Nov 2014 clash with the law
Charged with sedition or waging war against the nation, the controversial guru is believed to be holed up inside the ashram right now along with 5000 supporters.
Four women and a baby died at the ashram, where his followers, who call themselves 'Baba's Commandos', clashed with the police in Nov 2014, using acid, bombs and guns to prevent his arrest ordered by a High Court.
The police said they were not able to storm the ashram as Rampal has been using women and children as shields.The ashram's walls are over 30 feet high and two feet wide.
