An Ascetic’s Fall From Grace

After being on the run for several years, a self-proclaimed ascetic was apprehended at his home. Ram Bahadur Bamjan, popularly known as a Buddha boy because of his years of meditation in solitude under a tree in a dense forest in Bara district, has been accused of rape and the forced disappearance of multiple people from his ashrams or hermitages. After a few nuns from his ashrams, one of whom was a minor, accused him of raping them, authorities launched an investigation but failed to arrest him since Bamjan remained in hiding for nearly five years following the accusations.

After a popular online news site carried feature stories on Bamjan's "victims," police increased their search for the fugitive "ascetic." It has also been reported that, due to political interference, the police had to halt their search until last week, when a team from the Central Investigation Bureau stormed his house in the capital and arrested him, following which he was produced to the district court, which later sent him to custody for allowing the police to complete an investigation into the charges the "ascetic" has been facing.

Unethical acts 

The Bamjan case has brought to light a number of other cases in which religious leaders, scholars, and priests in Nepal have been accused of rape, murder, deception, and other unethical behaviour. Along with Bamjan, Baba Krishna Giri of Sunsari, Sri Niwas Acharya of Morang, pastor Dhruba Baba Joshi of Lalitpur, Govinda Rimpochhe, Priest Maulavi, and religious leader Chhatra Bahadur Gurung of Ilam were arrested for raping their followers in the past few years. Similarly, a few other religious leaders were involved in defrauding people out of millions of rupees. Swami Shivananda, Bijay Bhandari, and Purushottam Kafle of Dolakha were arrested for cheating people of tens of thousands of rupees under various pretexts during different periods.

Lhyarkal Lama, a former National Assembly member, a Buddhist scholar, and currently chairperson of the Lumbini Development Trust, was allegedly suspected of having dual citizenship in Nepal and India, storing firearms in his bank locker, and unlawfully dealing with foreign currency. Religious leaders, scholars, and priests of many kinds, not only from Nepal but also from India and abroad, have gained notoriety for their alleged involvement in immoral behaviours such as sexual assaults, cheating, and lying. A few years ago, Asha Ram Babu, Ram Rahim, and some others in India were sentenced to prison for raping women in their own ashrams. Many of them, including Asha Ram and Ram Rahim, are still imprisoned.

The accusations levelled against our religious leaders and high-ranking priests have claimed that these priests are no different from others who seek all the trappings of an opulent life. Though priests and religious leaders are admired for living simple lives and having strong moral character, some of them frequently show the flaws of ordinary mortals. The demand for priesthood can be too much for them at times, and they simply melt under its weight, forcing them to commit crimes that lead them to fall from grace and land them in jail.

Bamjan began his widely popular monastic lifestyle at the age of 15, but is now accused of molesting multiple girls and women who joined his ashram as nuns or maids. The victims portray him as a sexual predator. In the meantime, police accused him of living a lavish lifestyle in a fancy capital mansion, where he kept millions of rupees in cash. He also had expensive vehicles and automobiles.

Meanwhile, some of Bamjan's ardent Buddhist supporters have claimed that some forces were behind his arrest, and defended him stating that he was crucial in halting the spread of Christianity in Nepal by attracting people to his sect. His followers stated that his reputation as a Bodhisattva has made many of his adherents, thereby opposing the mounting challenges of Christian missionaries in the country who have been converting innocent, underprivileged Nepalis by offering cash and love to them. These forces, according to his supporters, have hatched a plot against him after his popularity soared.

Despite claims from his disciples and supporters, some people think Bamajan may have committed acts that may be considered illegal in court. If we trust the news reports and police accusations, the young ascetic may face the penalty under the country's laws. However, in his responses to the police interrogation, Bamjan denied all charges against him, claiming that because he was a godman completely engrossed in meditation, he was unaware of mundane happenings and thus was completely uninformed of the charges levelled against him. Now a simple question arises: if he is not guilty of any wrongdoing, why did he go into hiding for so long?

Common sense

Priests, religious leaders, and scholars frequently draw the attention of society and the nation, often for the wrong reasons. They frequently cause uproar by acting in ways that defy their stature in society. As a result, they become an eyesore to the many social leaders and individuals who respect the law and urge others, regardless of their social standing, to do the same. Common sense tells us that people who have high regard in society must remain at the forefront to set an example for the rest of us to follow. If the spiritual leaders indulge in immoral and criminal behaviour, no one can save them from the prying eyes of the law. In recent years, the authorities and lawmakers have made anti-rape and molestation laws stricter.

Finally, we should not forget one thing: with so many followers, resources at their disposal, and a kind of nexus with those associated with politics and politicians, some religious leaders, priests, and ascetics can avoid punishment. We should not be astonished or stunned if Bamjan avoids any punishment by proving his accusers wrong. We cannot say anything for sure. To become certain about the fate of popular ascetics, we must wait for the court ruling.

 (Upadhyay is former managing editor of this daily.)