Maharashtra's 'Ram Rahim': For women, his verbal abuse was 'prasad'

At the Ratnagiri rural police station officials are chatting every now and then throwing a glance at a man seated in the lock up Tu polisach bara hota Babagiri bhovli na tula You were good as a policeman Becoming a godman cost you didnt it one of them says taunting him Krishna Patil popularly known in Ratnagiri as Swami Patil is a former assistant subinspector The 62yearold was arrested on September 20 under the AntiSuperstition and Black Magic ActSwami Krishna PatilUntil a few years ago Patil was one of them working as a driver in the Motor Transport Division of the Ratnagairi police It was a job he had held since 1977 But spirituality wasnt new to himBorn to a farmer from Mirabunder village Ratnagiri a young Patil would accompany his father a bhajan singer when he performed at the local temples devotional gatherings Soon their fame spread and they travelled to neighbouring villages to spread divine love through musicThe math at Jharewadi village is housed on 21 gunthas of land donated by an ardent followerEven after he joined the police department Patil pursued his passion He would somehow manage to make time for bhajan singing after duty hours He was devout and played an active role in building a temple near Mandavi beach in Ratnagiri recalls Ramesh Vasaikar former deputy superintendent of police for whom Patil worked as driver from 1997 to 2000His talent was good enough for those who heard him to remember it as mesmerising Often devotees lost in the lords worship would stand up and dance to his songs It wasnt uncommon for him to be invited by officers from other jurisdictions to sing at satsangs held at their local temples The crowds that turned up to listen to Patil sing made him realise that he held sway over people Some of them would bow spontaneously before him Gradually his reputation as a spiritual personality was cemented and he was growing into a popular figure in the police department says a former colleague requesting anonymity Slowly the colleague remembers he was transforming from policeman into an unexpected personality who was himself overwhelmed by the support he was receiving Over time he began displaying palmistry skills too and senior officers would call him over to their residence for a glimpse into their futureChandrakant Gotad Jharewadi sarpanchTransformation is completeIt was around 2000 that his transformation into a godman was complete Praise had turned into devotion and visitors who earlier swayed to his bhajans now touched his feet Theyd load him with garlands and perform the aarti for him Soon stories of his kripa blessings began circulating wildly and Patil decided he needed to make dedicated time for his followersAt the meetings visitors would share their sorrows with him Sometimes they would plead that he find a solution The congregation was usually held on Thursdays at a math monastery in Sanmitranagar area of Ratnagiri districtPrahlad Gotad a 43yearold follower from Jharewadi village and his wife had been battling depression After four years of marriage they had not been able to have a child Every treatment in the book had been tried Gotad claims Then they decided to approach Patil I told him by Gods grace I have everything mdash a home land a job Before I could complete the sentence Swami interrupted me to say but you dont have a child My wife and I fell at his feet He didnt know about our problem We hadnt shared it with anyone Gotad an employee with Konkan Railway tells this reporterPatil is believed to have told Gotad that his wife would deliver a baby in nine months and nine days Call the child Prasad Patil advised The prediction says Gotad was accurate down to the date of birthPatil dressed like and considered himself an incarnation of Swami Samarth the 19th century saint from Akkalkot Maharashtra In fact he even emulated the saint known to be short tempered through an expression of anger and abuseLike several of his followers fed on stories of miracles Pandurang Kalambate says Patil once blessed a woman and predicted that her son who had been missing for two years would return during Ganeshotsav His bhavishyawani came true when the boy knocked on her door during the nineday festivalNow as many as 4000 people would turn up every Thursday at the math This didnt go down well with the locals who gradually built the pressure for him to shift base Shankar Kalambate a senior citizen and ardent follower of Patil belonged to Jharewadi a village 21 km from Ratnagiri He agreed to donate 21 guntha 2125 sq m of land to Patil and his followers for constructing a temple It was time for him to move from Sanmitranagar to a new base in Jharewadi This was in 2010 His followers now included senior government officials bureaucrats doctors politicians and businessmenAnd then Patil claimed to have performed a miracle only God could A woman visited the Jharewadi math with the lifeless body of her young son Patil say his followers gently inserted his index finger into the boys mouth and soon the young lad was up and about This was proof enough for Patil to now sit on a throne and get loaded with garlands by his bhaktsPrahlad Gotad an employee of Konkan Railway says his wife conceived with Patilrsquos blessings and delivered on the same day the swami predictedFrom godman to God His garb slowly changed and he decided hed dress like divinity Sometimes he would become lord Krishna or Shiva Chandrakant Gotad sarpanch of Jharewadi village has been Patils firm critic He speaks of a renowned Shiva temple of Marleshwar in Konkan Every year on January 14 devotees throng it to celebrate Makarsankranti and perform a marriage ceremony for the celestial couple Shiva and ParvatiInspired by the tradition Gotad says Patil chose to do the same He claimed he was an avatar of lord Shiva and on the holy occasion ofMakarsankranti he would marry a woman His followers would arrange for a bride every year It was like a real wedding with a baraat No one knows what happened to those girls Gotad saysOften Patil came for darshan in Western wear jacket and hat on hand Devotees say they have seen him pull off Michael Jackson moves at his durbar PicsRajesh GuptaAnil Gotad another Jharewadi resident agrees with the sarpanch Swami Patil would conceive a new nautanki and attire every day Sometimes he would dress in a suit and on other days he would turn into a saint He would make women followers dance to vulgar songs Videos of Patils antics circulating on the net stand proof He is believed to have often showcased Michael Jacksons movesWhile his persona changed abuse say critics was standard He claimed to be an avatar of 19th century Maharashtrian saint Swami Samarth who legend says had a short temper He would not only dress like him but also display arrogance and abuse his followers People accepted the vulgar language as prasad says Jaywant Kalambate a localBy 2012 Patil had grown a large enough following to consider quitting his police department post He sought voluntary retirement and became a fulltime selfanointed godman Soon Jharewadis residents too found him a nuisance He would give sermons on loudspeaker abuse his devotees in public his followers would cause traffic jams and spread filth in the surrounding area says Chandrakant Gotad He calls the miracles hearsay His followers never allowed a phone or camera into the monasteryA view of Krishna Patils durbar in the Jharewadi math The monastery and temple were built on 21 gunthas of land that ardent follower Shankar Kalambate had donated to PatilIronically his fame cost him Videos of aartis mdash secretly shot on spy cameras mdash were often accompanied by proof of abuseIn September 20 2017 a female follower who visited Patil at the Jharewadi math with her husband was verbally abused She went straight to the local police station and lodged a complaint But Patil managed to acquire bail in the case For his followers his offensive behaviour was simplu swamijis leelaAnd then came an incident that may have unfolded thousands of miles away in Harayana but it had an impact on Patil On August 28 Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim was convicted of rape and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment The man once considered invincible was now a petty prisoner pleading for mercyThe cry against superstition grew stronger across the country training the spotlight on others like Patil Notorious he could not escape the glare of the media who began running stories of his misdemeanors When organisations at the forefront of Maharashtras antisuperstition movement mounted pressure the police was compelled to arrest himWhile Patil got bail in the September 20 incident he was subsequently booked under a more stringent law mdash Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman Evil and Aghori Practices and the Black Magic Bill 2013 also known as the AntiSuperstition Bill Black Magic Bill Each clause of the Act carries a minimum sentence of six months and a maximum sentence of seven years including a fine The offences are nonbailable and cognizableThe investigation officer of the case registered under this act has to be a police officer greater than the rank of a police inspector It is under these sections that Patil remains in the lockupDeputy Superintendent of police Ganesh Ingale who is also the investigating officer for the case said During interrogation Patil claimed that he was innocent and not a swami or baba He claimed he never wanted to be one but his followers had insisted He also said he had not performed any miracles or brought a dead person alive