To: All governments, human rights institutions, all religious
and spiritual leaders, NGOs, politicians
and official functionaries, and the
media organizations of all countries.
This Petition is
to bring attention to serious allegations of child molestation and homosexual
abuse by Sathya Sai Baba at his ashrams in South India, involving many victims
there including boys and young men visiting from other countries. Another
grave concern is the issue of unresolved murders at Sai Baba's main ashram in
1993. Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian man who claims to be the full manifestation
of God on earth, is worshipped by several million followers from most
countries of the world. These followers include heads of state, royalty and
other well-known dignitaries. In the highest echelons of the Indian
government, judiciary, and civil service (IAS) are many followers, including
former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and the current Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh.
Sathya Sai Baba has been charged by many
individual victims of his assaults. The world's leading investigative
newspaper media have reported on his alleged sexual molestations of numerous
boys and young men from all over the world, many of whom were raised to
believe that he was God Almighty. Some of the many highly credible personal
testimonies can be examined at http://www.saiguru.net/ or at http://www.exbaba.com/.
Certain
officials of the Sathya Sai Organization have failed in their moral and
compassionate duty by disregarding and not alerting membership to the
allegations, thus putting minors at risk in Sai Baba's presence. (In some
countries, sexual abuse is taken so seriously that Mandatory Reporting laws
exist.) These officials, some being educators and health care professionals,
have lacked the moral courage to exercise due care, instead complying with a
campaign of secrecy and cover-up, the alleged molestations having continued
for at least 30 years. A directive was issued to various high office-bearers
in the organization banning discussion of these allegations in the centres.
The US State Department is aware of these many allegations of sexual
abuse and in effect for all US travellers going
to India, making specific reference to Andhra Pradesh State, where Sathya Sai
Baba’s main ashram is located. (see below, 1-) In mid 2004, as referred to in the BBC's The Secret Swami, the US State Department confirmed to the BBC that Sathya Sai Baba was, in fact, the Indian religious teacher referred to, but not by name, in its warning to US travellers to Andhra Pradesh.
Further, a British MP
has lodged questions in the House of Commons concerning possible risk to the
children of UK citizens visiting Sai Baba in India. (see below, 2-)
UNESCO officially withdrew from an educational conference planned for
September 2000 at Sai Baba's ashram under the auspices of the Sathya Sai
Organization, citing "widely reported allegations of sexual abuse involving
youth and children ... levelled at the leader of the movement in question,
Sathya Sai Baba." (see below, 3-)
In June 1993, Sai Baba passively
stood by while six persons were murdered in his apartments in Prashanthi
Nilayam independent township, his main ashram, known to be completely under
his strict control. After discussions between Sai Baba's officials and the
local police, the police shot at close range and in cold blood killed four of
these persons. Although Sai Baba reportedly first spoke to the intruders and
remained nearby throughout the whole episode, conferring with his officials,
he was not even questioned by police or law investigators! Due to their
serious inconsistency and ineptitude, the case was taken over from the local
police by the CBI, but the entire investigation was subsequently quashed by
government order by the intervention of devotees of Sai Baba holding top
positions of political power. Thus, no adequate court action was taken and no
justice or redress was possible for the victims’ families. (see below, 4 and
5-)
In terms of human rights, local governments, as well as the
national government of India, are obliged to investigate all well-founded
accusations of violations of human rights they receive. To sustain police or
judicial inactivity violates the human rights of the victims and turns also
the civil authorities into violators of human rights.
We appeal to all
those who wish that these matters should be properly investigated, and who
wish that the responsible persons be made accountable through proper legal
process, to PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION. We especially appeal to all religious
and spiritual leaders, NGOs, politicians and official functionaries, and the
media organizations of all countries to participate. This Petition is for the
benefit of the general public and will be sent to any relevant authority that
may forward the Petition. Please see sign-up instructions on the page.
The initiators of this Petition (see the Undersigned, below) each left
the Sathya Sai Baba cult for various reasons. Some have been active members of
the Sathya Sai Organization for many years, others did not hold office in the
SSO but were devoted followers. See also personal resignation letters at
www.saiguru.net
SOURCE DOCUMENTATION
Source documentation for the above matters is to be found on the Internet
at a number of websites, as follows:
1.The US State Department’s warning to citizens travelling to Andhra Pradesh,
November 23, 2001:
India - Consular Information Sheet
Under the heading CRIME INFORMATION found for over 6 years under 'Consular information' at US State Government Travel Warnings for India
The text read:-
"U.S. citizens should be aware that there have been reports of inappropriate
sexual behavior by a prominent local religious leader at an ashram or religious
retreat located in Andhra Pradesh. Most of the reports indicate that the subjects
of these approaches have been young male devotees, including a number of U.S.
citizens. Although these reports are unconfirmed, U.S. citizens should be
aware of this information and contact the U.S. Consulate General in Chennai
for further information."(The page was last viewed as posted by the U.S. State Department
as of 2006 - for fuller information on the travel warning see how the BBC investigated the travel warning and received direct confirmation from the Embassy in New Delhi that it applies to Sathya Sai Baba here.
As of May 25, 2004, the U.S. State Department will verify that the 'local religious leader' is in fact Sathya Sai Baba. For enquiries other than by the Media, contact: John C. Peters, <PetersJC2@state.gov> Phone: 202 647-6179 Citizen Services Specialist for India, American Citizen's Services Unit. U.S. State Department. Washington, D.C. For further details, click here.
Sai Baba is by
far the most prominent religious leader in Andhra Pradesh. The actual name
was no doubt omitted only because charges have not been laid.
2. British MP Tony Colman’s question in Parliament and letter to Prime Minister
Tony Blair and Tony Blair’s reply. (See: Motion in
The House of Commons, U.K. by M.P. Tony Colman and the facsimile here- which is from the
UK’s House of Commons website and Letter by Prime
Minister Tony Blair)
3. The International Headquarters of UNESCO issued a formal Media Advisory
on September 15, 2000 (go to UNESCO advisory
here) stating that it would no longer sponsor or take part in a conference
it had been due to co-organize with the Institute of Sathya Sai Education
(Thailand) and The Flinders University Institute of International Education
(Australia). The Advisory said that UNESCO was no longer associated in any
way – through sponsorship, organization or participation of any kind – with
the conference and that UNESCO was deeply concerned about widely-reported
allegations of sexual abuse involving youths and children that had been levelled
at the leader of the movement in question, Sathya Sai Baba. (The complete
text of UNESCO WITHDRAWS FROM CONFERENCE – Paris 15/9/2000 – can be read on
the website www.saiguru.net). Neither UNESCO not any other branch of the UNO has had any cooperation with the Sathya Sai Organization since then.
4. The four executed followers, who reportedly only wished to speak to Sai
Baba, killed two of Sai Baba’s attendants in a knife fight. Sai Baba later
publicly declared that there was no attempt on his life.
Commenting upon the murders at the time, the International Chairman of Sai
Baba’s Organization and a member of the Sathya Sai Central Trust, Indulal
Shah, stated to pressmen: “…the matter is purely internal and we do not wish
to have any law enforcement agency investigating into it.” (The Hindu, 10-6-1993).
The only possible meaning of this is that the International Chairman of the
Sathya Sai Organization would put the perpetrators of such major crimes completely
above and beyond the law. This is exactly what has occurred so far.
5. For a documentation of most relevant reports, transcripts, proceedings
and related materials on the murders issue, examine the 844-page book Murders
in Sai Baba’s Bedroom by B. Premanand (publ. Premanand. 11/7 Chettipalayam
Road, Podnadur, 641 023 Tamil Nadu, India). An overview covers the history
of the alleged sexual
abuses by Sathya Sai Baba. Transcripts and other data can be examined
at http://exbaba.com/assassinations.html
– under the textbox “Murders” (see especially: “Excerpts from newspaper reports
about the murders in Sai Baba's vicinity”). A full coverage of web pages relevant to the 1993 murders and the aftermath is found here.
6. The BBC one-hour
documentary "The Secret Swami" for BBC2 & BBC WORLD television
(2004), in which first-hand testimonies about the sexual allegations and about
the murder investigations are given - and in which leading persons in the
Sai Organisation and former Indian Government are questioned -
can be viewed in summary and short video clips (click here)
Sincerely,
THE JuST GROUP (Just Seekers
of Truth),
The Public Petition for Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and His Worldwide Organization is addressed to all governments, human rights institutions, all religious and spiritual leaders, NGOs, politicians and official functionaries, and the media organizations of all countries was created by Just Seekers of Truth and written by Arthur Klein.
Some news about this petition is posted at http://www.saiguru.net/english/articles/
See also The
Dr. John Hislop letters concerning sexual abuse allegations
Two regularly
up-dated blogs summarising materials relevant to the above are
1)'Call
for Media and Government Investigation of Sathya Sai Baba - India's most Controversial
Guru' click here, by Barry Pittard (a global coordinator in the effort
to expose Sathya Sai Baba and his worldwide Sathya Sai Organization).
2) Sathya Sai Baba Deceptions Exposed Exposing major deceits by guru Sathya Sai Baba in India, incl. murders cover-up & widely alleged sexual abuse