NEXUS, Vol 10, No. 4. June-July 2003
Sai Baba
Allegations Grow
Duncan,
In exposing
sexual abuse of male youths by Sathya Sai Baba, India’s most famous guru,
the NEXUS articles in September-October 1999 on the accusations were
tremendously seminal. The three testimonies presented alleged serial sexual
molestations of young males from different countries, as well as other
crimes.
NEXUS tested many Sai Baba-related
sources independent of our own. Your confirmation of the integrity of the
evidence, and publishing of the article, certainly assisted our extensive
and worldwide investigations and campaign.
Devoted to Sai
Baba for 25 years, I spent a few years around him and taught English
literature (1978-79) at his college in Whitefield, via Bangalore - the first
of several large boys’ colleges Sathya Sai Baba has founded. I now assist
with exposure activities.
In all the top
Indian power structures, Sathya Sai Baba’s devotees are legion. Witlessly,
they and millions of Indians sink at his feet, declaring him a national
treasure - the greatest divine incarnation ever - and believe him when he
says that he will save the entire world, with India leading the rest of us.
His ostensible miracles are a powerful incentive to belief.
We continue to
expose fraudulence, but not all the phenomena - whether related to him
personally or to worldwide manifestations in countless homes of devotees,
etc. - submit to rational explanation.
A common response
to the three NEXUS article
testimonies was that they had the “ring of truth.” One of the authors was Dr
Terry Gallagher, a scientist and formerly a highly respected leader of the
Australian Sathya Sai Organisation. Long before the
NEXUS article came out, his efforts
to investigate properly the allegations of sexual molestation had been
heavily suppressed by T. Ramanathan, the head of the Sathya Sai Organisation
of Australia and Papua New Guinea. Dr Gallagher resigned on high principle -
as have many others since, the world over.
Another highly
respected Australian leader, Stephen Carthew, a documentary filmmaker,
submitted shortly after the NEXUS was
published that the allegations be discussed by the rank and file. Summarily,
Ramanathan, a retired lawyer and (I hear) former President of the Sri Lanka
Law Society, cast him out.
Worldwide,
courageous and truthful individuals received the same draconian treatment.
Hundreds of people have come forward with more information. These include
former devotees from many countries, some of whom have spent over two
decades closely involved in Sathya Sai Baba’s work.
Allegations
against him mainly relate to serial sexual abuse of minors and young men,
but some to Sathya Sai Baba’s complicity in police executions in his private
apartments at Puttaparthi in 1993.
Coming from many
countries and educational backgrounds, we have exposed Sathya Sai Baba and
his accomplices in major venues. We have precipitated well-researched
articles in the press of countries such as Australia, Canada, Denmark,
Chile, Germany, Holland, India, UK, USA, and Sweden.
Early last year,
the Danish Broadcasting Company aired a 50-minute
documentary
on the Sathya Sai Baba exposé, titled Seduced.
Promptly, the municipal authorities rescinded the sale to
Sai devotees of the famous ArresØdal castle in Copenhagen,
which was to have been used as a Sai international School.
However, the
Indian power structure constantly obstructs our efforts, including the media
– with the honourable exceptions of India
Today and the unique and brave Ramana Murthy, Editor of
Vijayavihaaram. Indian Prime Minister
A.B. Vajpayee and three high-profile co-signatories of a public letter say
that our contentions are “wild, reckless and concocted allegations made by
certain vested interests and people against Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.”
After hearing our
allegations and having them investigated, the
Vice-Chancellor
of the University of Adelaide, South Australia, withdrew permission
for the University to be used as a venue for the Sai National
Conference that was scheduled for April 18-25, 2003.
There is a
growing network around the planet of people calling for a properly
constituted official enquiry and action by governments around the world.
More
information can be found at the following multi-lingual website:
http://www.saiguru.net