Religious leaders come out in support of verdict against Dera chief

August 26, 2017 21:18

In the backdrop of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's conviction in a rape case, religious leaders today called for a crackdown on "money-launderers masquerading as godmen".

"Incidents like these send across a very strong message about India and its spiritual heritage. We have long demanded that the government investigate and act against godmen whose empires may have undergone a meteoric rise," said president of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, Swami Narendra Giri.

Giri said, "Many money launderers are masquerading as godmen. They belong to no religious tradition, mutt, or akhara. People with big money become followers of these so-called cult leaders with the intention to get their black wealth converted into white".

In a separate interaction with newsmen, Devi Prasad, chief priest of the renowned Sharda Devi Temple at Maihar in the neigbouring state of Madhya Pradesh, hailed the court verdict against the Dera chief.

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