Self-styled 'godman' Rampal produced in Punjab and Haryana High Court (Press Trust of India photo)
The massive effort to locate and arrest self-styled religious leader Satguru Rampalji Maharaj cost taxpayers nearly Rs 30 crore, the Punjab and Haryana Court in Chandigarh was told today. Rampal, 63, was charged with sedition earlier this month after a days-long siege of his sprawling compound in Haryana ended in his arrest along with hundreds of hardcore followers.
The police evacuated more than 10,000 followers from the fortified compound of the cult headed by 'Rampal' before entering the fortified ashram where he had remained hidden for several days. He was wanted for ignoring more than 40 court orders to appear to answer charges of murder.
"I am innocent," Rampal, a former engineer, told reporters as he was brought out, handcuffed, from a court in Chandigarh on November 20.
Police used tear gas, water cannon and bulldozers to storm his 12-acre base, breaching resistance from a human chain of supporters outside, and men throwing stones and bottles filled with acid from its roof.
The bodies of five women and one infant were found by officials.
Rampal's arrest was ordered initially over a 2006 murder case, in which he is accused of telling supporters to open fire on villagers, killing one and injuring six.
He heads a sect that worships the 15th-century poet and mystic Kabir, known for a message of tolerance that is followed by people of varied faiths.