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Sydney-based
HANS DE KRAKER was an ardent devotee of Sai Baba for five years. His allegations
of sexual abuse against the godman first appeared in The Sunday Age
on November 12.
Allegations
(as sent in a signed affidavit to INDIA TODAY): "As I was paying
homage according to Indian customs, I touched his feet. He then grabbed
my head and pushed it into his groin area. He made moaning sounds. The
same sound that would later confirm my thoughts. As soon as he took the
pressure off my head and I lifted it up, Sai Baba lifted his dress and
presented me a semi-erect member telling me that this was my good luck
chance and pushed his hips towards my face. After careful consideration,
I determined that this was not what I wanted and should be doing and responded
to Sai Baba that I only wanted his heart. He then dropped his dress, clearly
'caught with his hands in the candy jar' and told me that I had his heart.
He went on to offer me 'another good luck chance', which I refused again."
STATUS:
Kraker has so far not filed any legal complaint against Baba in his own
country. The Sai Baba Ashram in Puttaparthi neither denies nor confirms
the charge.
JENS
SETHI is a German settled in Munich. He was a Sai Baba devotee for 10
years. His charges were published for the first time by the Focus magazine
on September 18.
Allegations
(as sent in a signed affidavit to INDIA TODAY): "In the private chamber,
Baba said 'Come,' and kissed me on my lips for a long time. I resisted
and he gurgled, 'Have no fear. This is a good opportunity, so many are
waiting for months and will not get.' He asked me to remove my trousers,
unzipped my fly and went with his right hand into my underpants. Baba
massaged the genitals unasked. He expected some erection but this did
not happen for I didn't feel any sexual excitement. I also didn't come
for such games to Puttaparthi. I was really disgusted. Baba was disappointed
and had the impudence to say, 'It is very weak, don't waste energy.' When
I looked at him, I realised the truth about him. He had such an evil vibration
that moment. Soon, he sent me out of the room without saying a word."
STATUS:
Sethi recently filed a complaint with the public prosecutor in Munich.
The Sai Baba Ashram has no comment on the allegations.
CONNY
LARRSON, a Swede, was a Baba devotee for 21 years. His allegations first
appeared (in part) in The Daily Telegraph, London on October 20.
Allegations
(as told to INDIA TODAY): "Baba called me for several private
interviews. I did not know what was happening between him and me but I
believed him when he said he was God and was helping me with my problems.
It was odd since he did this by physically approaching my genitals, sometimes
smearing oil, later by masturbating me and asking for the same to be done
to him. He also performed oral sex on me several times. He always seemed
to enjoy it immensely. When he asked me to perform oral sex on him, I
backed out due to my background as a molested child."
STATUS:
No formal complaint has been filed so far. The ashram is again mum on
the case.
SHADOW
PLAY
Controversy
could well be Sai Baba's middle name. He has been dogged by various kinds
of allegations in the past-though none of them has ever been proven.
A BLOODY
SUMMER
On June
6, 1993, gunshots rang out in Baba's ashram. In the squalid incident,
four persons (all of them devotees) were killed by the police but passed
off as an assassination attempt on the godman. There were a lot of questions.
Why did the police kill all four? Where was the Swami all this time? Why
would four long-time devotees suddenly turn against their own god? The
police justified their action saying they had no option as they found
the four assailants in Baba's chambers with daggers in hand. And, as usual,
the Baba preferred to remain silent on the issue.
BETWEEN
THE LINES
In the mid
1980s, Tal Brooke wrote Avatar of Night in which he gave details of sexual
advances made by Baba 20 years ago. It became instant controversy and
was denounced by Baba's followers. They described it as a crude attempt
to make some fast money. Today, a second edition of the book is out.
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Orthodoxy in economic thought is as odious as obscurantism in the socio-religious context. INDIA TODAY Associate Editor, V Shankar Aiyar, offers a contrarian take on the stock markets and the cause and the impact of policy and practice. 