TV
In an unusual turn of events, hundreds of devotees of Santosh Kumar Roul alias Sarathi Baba have started offering prayers to the self-proclaimed godman on the auspicious occasion of Dola Purnima. Hundreds of devotees organised a ‘satsang’ to offer prayers to the ‘baba’.
The religious gatherings were first reported from Odisha Capital Bhubaneswar’s Kargil Basti. ’ The worship of Sarathi Baba was not just limited to Bhubaneswar; the prayers and gatherings were also reported from Jeypore in the Koraput district.
During the gatherings, the devotees were seen playing the devotional hymns performed by Sarathi. The devotees included men and women, including teenage girls.
Reaction of Devotees:
“We worship Sarathi Baba every year on Dola Purnima. I have been worshipping and following him for the last 20 years. Many of my wishes have been fulfilled by worshipping him,” claimed a woman devotee.
Likewise, another devotee stated, “Not matter how people see him, but he is our God. We have been believing him and will always believe in him. He is our everything.”
“He is our God. We have organised special prayers for him today. Later, there will be Holi celebrations followed by food for everyone. No matter what others think, we believe in him,” stated another devotee.
The Controversial Godman's Rise to Fame and Arrest:
Sarathi Baba rose to prominence in the early 2000s. Sarathi Baba built an empire of followers and wealth by promising spiritual guidance, miracles, and the solution to life's problems.
However, his rise to fame came to a sudden halt in 2015 when he was arrested by the police on charges of sexual abuse, exploitation and fraud. Reports surfaced that his luxurious lifestyle was funded by the donations of his followers.
On August 4, 2015, he was spotted staying in a hotel lobby with a woman in her 20s in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. The girl was identified as an MBBS student who alleged that she was harassed by Sarathi's followers as they possessed a video of her bathing and had threatened to circulate it.
Later, Sarathi was arrested from his Ashram on August 8, 2015 under Section 420 (fraud), 120 (B) criminal conspiracy, 341 (wrongful restraint) and also under Arms Act and Scheduled Caste and scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
