From : IRAN / USA
Source : Afshin Khorramshahgol - correspondence to David and Faye Bailey
Subject : MY ACCOUNT RE SAI BABA
Dear Faye and David, Hello.
Here is a brief account of my experiences with Sai Baba. I apologise for the graphic language of this message, but it is the only way to share my experiences.
I travelled to India three times, from 1991 to 1993. On my first visit to India I was already a devotee of Sai Baba and believed he was God. I had a total of seven private interviews in the first two trips. In the first private interview Sai Baba asked me to undo my pants and drop my underwear. Since I believed he was God I did as he asked. He had already ‘materialised’ oil and he applied it in the area between my penis and anus.
I was told after the interview by some devotees, that this act is done by gurus to their disciples to open a chakra, or source of spiritual energy in the body of the disciple. However I am not sure if this is what in fact Sai Baba had done.
My research since, has not found this initiation ceremony in any Hindu books or scriptures, or among Hindu followers of other gurus.
In every private interview after the ‘initiation’ private interview, Sai Baba asked me to drop my pants and underwear, and he would rub my penis. Once he was rubbing it so hard it was obvious to me that he wanted me to get an erection.
I was busy talking to him about my problems, the problems of my country Iran, and my family’s problems, and I was asking him for his blessing for all of them.
I was not interested in sex or anything, especially with a guy, and so my penis did not grow, now matter how hard Sai Baba tried. Finally, he gave up and threw my penis up and turned away with a very angry face and mumbled something. When he turned back to me, he told me to put my pants on again and the private interview was over.
You may ask why I didn’t stop Sai Baba doing what he was doing if it was so obvious to me that he wanted me to get an erection?
Due to my being brainwashed, I thought I had to throw out this thought as it was another obstacle on my way to reach God. According to Sai Baba, all bad thoughts have to be thrown out immediately and replace with good, pure thoughts - and so I threw out the idea of Sai Baba trying to give me an erection, even though I knew he was.
In another interview, Sai Baba asked me to kneel in front of him while he was standing. He took my head with his right hand and pushed it hard into his stomach. He then took my other hand with his left hand and tried to rub it against his penis.
I did not grab his penis. I just let him direct my hand to his penis, using the outside of my hand, not the palm of my hand. While he was rubbing my hand on his penis, he was moaning sexually.
In the middle of this act, I tried to look up to see his face as I wanted to see his emotions, He didn’t let me. He pushed my head into his stomach harder, and this made me stop my desire to see his face altogether. He finally gave up, realising that I was not interested in grabbing his penis, since I wasn’t willing to use my palm to touch him.
Even this incident didn’t shake my faith in him. That’s how strong is the brainwashing in Sai baba’s organisation.
In all the private interviews that I had with Sai Baba, he would also hug or kiss me, or ask me to kiss him. I had come to reason with myself that he was touching my penis because he was probably healing me of some disease or handicap. I reasoned to myself that Sai Baba asked me to kiss him, or kissed me because he loved me, and kissing on the cheeks is all right - kissing on the cheeks between men is okay in my country.
It was not until I saw a movie that shows Sai Baba cheating, that my faith in him started to crumble. It was only after I left Sai Baba (six months after seeing that movie) that I realised his real intentions in those private interviews.
I am willing to testify in any court of law or in any gathering about the above experiences.
I have been very active on the internet for the past six years and I have saved numerous people from falling into Sai Baba’s evil trap.
Regards,
Afshin
Tuesday, 26 June 2007
Monday, 25 June 2007
SAI BABA SEXUAL ABUSE TESTIMONY
My Story
by Diana Scott (later Mrs.Payne), U.S.A.
I was an American Sai Baba devotee for 10 years from 1970-1980. I traveled to Bangalore and Puttaparthi five times during that period. My family and I had many interviews with Baba. Sai Baba told me to bring my son to his college in India when he was 15. My son was at his college from 1977 to 1980. In 1980 my son told me that Sai Baba was a homosexual. He said that Sai Baba tried to have oral sex with him.
I had heard stories before about his relations with the college boys, but I didn't believe them. I actually saw Sai Baba grab at my son's crotch as he walked ahead of me into the interview room one time. Later I asked my son what was happening, why did Baba do that? He said "Baba is teaching or testing."
In 1980 I wrote letters to the Sai organization in the US asking for help and an explanation for Baba's actions. I knew many of the Board members personally. Of course they all said that both my son and myself were lying. I was absolutely devastated by the whole situation. How could God do such a thing!
Sai Baba told me that when I left my son at his school in India that he (SB) would be his father! It's twenty years later now, and I still feel some of that pain. Now I'm able to read the other accounts and it makes me realize that I must tell what happened to my family.
When I first learned of Sai Baba, I heard first person accounts about him asking men to drop their pants, and then he would rub vibhuti or oil on their penis to help them control their sexual appetites. This seemed strange to me at the time, but I rationalized this activity as something I could not understand about divinity. I also read Tal Brooke's book and dismissed it.
In addition I received a phone call in 1975 from an Indian ex-devotee who told me that he caught Baba in bed with his son (I hung up on the man!). There of course are many more details to my account.
If anyone would like to talk to me personally about this, I will do so. I am glad to say that my son is now a happily married man with children. I'm still capable of feeling a bit emotional about what happened with sb, but now it's a relatively minor thing compared to the rest of my life. I thought when I got out of the Baba movement that it couldn't possibly last this long.
Recently I found out about the murders at the ashram, very shocking to me. I am a teacher with many interests in my life. But I've decided, since I was so involved during this early period, to devote time talking with others who may be experiencing the pain of separation from the Baba movement and to tell my story.
Note - Diana Scott wrote to Dr. John Hislop, then President of the US Sathya Sai Society. His way of dealing with this was to send secret letters to leaders warning them of this and asking them to destroy those letters. However, the letters survived and scans can be viewed here
by Diana Scott (later Mrs.Payne), U.S.A.
I was an American Sai Baba devotee for 10 years from 1970-1980. I traveled to Bangalore and Puttaparthi five times during that period. My family and I had many interviews with Baba. Sai Baba told me to bring my son to his college in India when he was 15. My son was at his college from 1977 to 1980. In 1980 my son told me that Sai Baba was a homosexual. He said that Sai Baba tried to have oral sex with him.
I had heard stories before about his relations with the college boys, but I didn't believe them. I actually saw Sai Baba grab at my son's crotch as he walked ahead of me into the interview room one time. Later I asked my son what was happening, why did Baba do that? He said "Baba is teaching or testing."
In 1980 I wrote letters to the Sai organization in the US asking for help and an explanation for Baba's actions. I knew many of the Board members personally. Of course they all said that both my son and myself were lying. I was absolutely devastated by the whole situation. How could God do such a thing!
Sai Baba told me that when I left my son at his school in India that he (SB) would be his father! It's twenty years later now, and I still feel some of that pain. Now I'm able to read the other accounts and it makes me realize that I must tell what happened to my family.
When I first learned of Sai Baba, I heard first person accounts about him asking men to drop their pants, and then he would rub vibhuti or oil on their penis to help them control their sexual appetites. This seemed strange to me at the time, but I rationalized this activity as something I could not understand about divinity. I also read Tal Brooke's book and dismissed it.
In addition I received a phone call in 1975 from an Indian ex-devotee who told me that he caught Baba in bed with his son (I hung up on the man!). There of course are many more details to my account.
If anyone would like to talk to me personally about this, I will do so. I am glad to say that my son is now a happily married man with children. I'm still capable of feeling a bit emotional about what happened with sb, but now it's a relatively minor thing compared to the rest of my life. I thought when I got out of the Baba movement that it couldn't possibly last this long.
Recently I found out about the murders at the ashram, very shocking to me. I am a teacher with many interests in my life. But I've decided, since I was so involved during this early period, to devote time talking with others who may be experiencing the pain of separation from the Baba movement and to tell my story.
Note - Diana Scott wrote to Dr. John Hislop, then President of the US Sathya Sai Society. His way of dealing with this was to send secret letters to leaders warning them of this and asking them to destroy those letters. However, the letters survived and scans can be viewed here
Howard Murphet's Sai Baba 'miracle' stories
In reply to the abuse of a Sai follower posting on a Yahoo group bullboard, the following posting was noted:-
From wcstudent2001 on:
Sathya Sai Baba Discussion Club, message 1838:
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/sathyasaibabadiscussionclub
Date: 1/10/01 10:31 a.m.
Dear Sir,
I was a kid and saw Mr. Murphet in India in late 60s and I recall how unscientifically he was going about collecting miracle stories on Saibaba. He accepted stories about granite being converted to candy and several others just because the people who were narrating these were scientists. I can tell you that several of these scientists later realized how these miracles had simpler explanations and beyond that when they had to deal with the many other darker aspects of baba, they quietly slipped away in shame for promoting Baba with self promoting versions of what actually happened. In the particular instance of granite becoming candy, it was a simple case of switch on a dusky evening.
Has Mr. Murphet contacted any of his witnesses and asked how many of them are around with Baba?
You sir challenge every bit of ex-devotee account saying there is no proof. Shouldn't the burden of proof be on you to follow-up on your own star scientific witnesses and see what happened with them?
And finally, I would like to add that beside being "oiled" under the pretense of curing a different problem with a totally different part of my anatomy, I was saved from further sexploitation my enmasse defections from the closet relatives who were Baba's choice inner circle for decades who were all victims of his sodomite behaviour. Needless to say, we were villified as usual and were labelled as opportunits.
I don't expect you to believe this or post it on your site but I would appreciate if you sent this to Mr. Murphet. But he is too invested in this for nearly 40 years and I don't expect him to have an open mind after this long. After all, my own father did not believe what happened to me when it happened.
Regards,
Taken for a ride for 20 years and called the "chaff"
(This refers to Sai Baba saying he was 'sorting the wheat from the chaff' at the time of the drastic loss of followers due to the sexabuse testimonies all over the net)
From wcstudent2001 on:
Sathya Sai Baba Discussion Club, message 1838:
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/sathyasaibabadiscussionclub
Date: 1/10/01 10:31 a.m.
Dear Sir,
I was a kid and saw Mr. Murphet in India in late 60s and I recall how unscientifically he was going about collecting miracle stories on Saibaba. He accepted stories about granite being converted to candy and several others just because the people who were narrating these were scientists. I can tell you that several of these scientists later realized how these miracles had simpler explanations and beyond that when they had to deal with the many other darker aspects of baba, they quietly slipped away in shame for promoting Baba with self promoting versions of what actually happened. In the particular instance of granite becoming candy, it was a simple case of switch on a dusky evening.
Has Mr. Murphet contacted any of his witnesses and asked how many of them are around with Baba?
You sir challenge every bit of ex-devotee account saying there is no proof. Shouldn't the burden of proof be on you to follow-up on your own star scientific witnesses and see what happened with them?
And finally, I would like to add that beside being "oiled" under the pretense of curing a different problem with a totally different part of my anatomy, I was saved from further sexploitation my enmasse defections from the closet relatives who were Baba's choice inner circle for decades who were all victims of his sodomite behaviour. Needless to say, we were villified as usual and were labelled as opportunits.
I don't expect you to believe this or post it on your site but I would appreciate if you sent this to Mr. Murphet. But he is too invested in this for nearly 40 years and I don't expect him to have an open mind after this long. After all, my own father did not believe what happened to me when it happened.
Regards,
Taken for a ride for 20 years and called the "chaff"
(This refers to Sai Baba saying he was 'sorting the wheat from the chaff' at the time of the drastic loss of followers due to the sexabuse testimonies all over the net)
Friday, 22 June 2007
RATIONALISTS CONDEMN SATHYA SAI BABA
Now it is Sai Baba's turn!
by SANAL EDAMARUKU
Source: Rationalist International Bulletin # 53 (29 October, 2000)and 'Para-nyt' 2001 nr. 1
Many of India’s high profile super godmen are closing down their shops. Swami Sadachari, once spiritual advisor and tantric of many top politicians including Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister, has been in jail for running a brothel, following his exposure by Indian Rationalists. Gone with the wind is Swami Premananda, again to jail, following sex scandals including rape charges. Chandraswami, master mind behind the "milk miracle" who had India’s top politicians including former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao at his finger tip, faces charges of bribery and cheating. One fine day all of them lose their divine magic and the golden aura around them turns dirty grey. The rest is police business, court procedure, media sneer and silence. Now it seems to be Sathya Sai Baba’s turn.
In the face of overwhelming proof, Sai Baba stands accused of consistent child abuse and homosexual abuse of young disciples in numerous cases. London’s Daily Telegraph, in a cover story, has pieced together a shocking dossier of his crimes. In the center of the report stands the case of the now twenty-year-old American Sam Young, son of two ardent devotees of Sai Baba and frequent visitors of his ashram over the last twenty years. Sam, sixteen when he came to Puttaparthi for the first time, was picked up and granted many private audiences with Sai Baba, during which the godman regularly kissed and fondled him, tried to rape him and successfully silenced him. He used to "produce" holy oil out of thin air and to rub the boy’s genitals with that. And he produced watches, golden rings and money to keep him silent. After four years, Sam gathered courage to reveal his plight to his parents. Once Sai Baba was publicly accused, the dam of silence broke and hundreds of similar cases came to light. Devotees left Sai Baba centers abroad in hundreds, some of the centers have already closed down.
The charges against Sai Baba were mounting for last several months before they became public. Last month UNESCO washed its hands off Sai Baba by deciding neither to sponsor nor take part in a conference it had been planning to organize alongwith the Institute of Sathya Sai Education (ISSE, Thailand) and The Flinders University Institute of International Education (Australia), in Puttaparthi, India, from September 25 to 29.
The decision meant UNESCO was no longer associated in any way – through sponsorship, organization or participation of any kind – with the conference on "Strengthening Values". UNESCO’s withdrawal was prompted by several factors. The organization was deeply concerned about the widely reported allegations of sexual abuse involving youths and children that have been leveled against Sai Baba. Though it was not for UNESCO to pronounce itself in this regard, it restated its firm moral and practical commitment to combating the sexual exploitation of children, in application of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which requires States to protect children from all forms of sexual exploitation and violence.
I have to admit: I would feel some satisfaction to see Sai Baba behind bars. I had wished him there far earlier. On the other side, I feel somewhat disappointed, because I had wished him in jail for different reasons. Even if there were not a single case of sexual abuse, there would have been more than enough reasons to award him with life imprisonment. He is guilty of deceit, of claiming authority under misrepresentation of facts, of unscrupulous mental misuse of millions of weak minded and gullible victims. Indian Rationalists have fought against Sai Baba for the last 40 years and exposed him again and again as fraud. Prof. Abraham Thomas Kovoor, an Indian Rationalist who lived in Sri Lanka and lead the Rationalist Association there has been the first to publicly challenge Sai Baba. During the Divine Miracle Exposure Campaigns the Indian Rationalist Association has organized with Kovoor, he traveled through the width and breadth of India several times and unleashed a mass campaign against Sai Baba. Since the death of Kovoor in 1978, many rationalist stalwarts have taken up the cudgels of fight to expose Sai Baba. I have been personally involved in these campaigns since then.
Over the years Sai Baba’s public image seemed immune against all exposures. He gathered more and more devotees, built huge institutions and buildings in India and abroad and commanded unusual political clout. His birth day celebrations were pompous public shows bringing to his feet top politicians including Presidents and Prime Ministers of India and top industrialists. But of late things changed. Systematic campaigns of Indian Rationalists bore fruits and the fame of his miraculous capacities suffered serious damage. A videotape of Sai Baba producing a golden chain from ‘thin air’ by actually taking it from the bottom of a plate where it was pasted was smuggled out from the studios of the government television channel and copies were circulated widely by rationalists. Later this clipping, which caught Sai Baba red handed, became a part of Guru Busters, the British television documentary on Indian Rationalists. Guru Busters was shown in twelve countries over widely viewed channels. I have been invited several times to explain and demonstrate the famous Sai Baba miracles in TV. Thanks to our work the public awareness about the simple tricks behind Sai Baba’s miracles had increased considerably. Sai Baba started avoiding the media in fear of further public exposure. During the last visit of Sai Baba to Delhi, the very same evening, I had the opportunity to explain and show his miracles in one of the largest television net works in India. Unable to face criticism, this time Sai Baba abstained from doing miracles and avoided the media. Slowly the curtain seemed to come down for the holy man.
With the devastating new exposure of child sex and rape charges, it may become dark soon for Sai Baba. Or will he have another trick up his sleeve to survive untainted?
by SANAL EDAMARUKU
Source: Rationalist International Bulletin # 53 (29 October, 2000)and 'Para-nyt' 2001 nr. 1
Many of India’s high profile super godmen are closing down their shops. Swami Sadachari, once spiritual advisor and tantric of many top politicians including Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister, has been in jail for running a brothel, following his exposure by Indian Rationalists. Gone with the wind is Swami Premananda, again to jail, following sex scandals including rape charges. Chandraswami, master mind behind the "milk miracle" who had India’s top politicians including former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao at his finger tip, faces charges of bribery and cheating. One fine day all of them lose their divine magic and the golden aura around them turns dirty grey. The rest is police business, court procedure, media sneer and silence. Now it seems to be Sathya Sai Baba’s turn.
In the face of overwhelming proof, Sai Baba stands accused of consistent child abuse and homosexual abuse of young disciples in numerous cases. London’s Daily Telegraph, in a cover story, has pieced together a shocking dossier of his crimes. In the center of the report stands the case of the now twenty-year-old American Sam Young, son of two ardent devotees of Sai Baba and frequent visitors of his ashram over the last twenty years. Sam, sixteen when he came to Puttaparthi for the first time, was picked up and granted many private audiences with Sai Baba, during which the godman regularly kissed and fondled him, tried to rape him and successfully silenced him. He used to "produce" holy oil out of thin air and to rub the boy’s genitals with that. And he produced watches, golden rings and money to keep him silent. After four years, Sam gathered courage to reveal his plight to his parents. Once Sai Baba was publicly accused, the dam of silence broke and hundreds of similar cases came to light. Devotees left Sai Baba centers abroad in hundreds, some of the centers have already closed down.
The charges against Sai Baba were mounting for last several months before they became public. Last month UNESCO washed its hands off Sai Baba by deciding neither to sponsor nor take part in a conference it had been planning to organize alongwith the Institute of Sathya Sai Education (ISSE, Thailand) and The Flinders University Institute of International Education (Australia), in Puttaparthi, India, from September 25 to 29.
The decision meant UNESCO was no longer associated in any way – through sponsorship, organization or participation of any kind – with the conference on "Strengthening Values". UNESCO’s withdrawal was prompted by several factors. The organization was deeply concerned about the widely reported allegations of sexual abuse involving youths and children that have been leveled against Sai Baba. Though it was not for UNESCO to pronounce itself in this regard, it restated its firm moral and practical commitment to combating the sexual exploitation of children, in application of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which requires States to protect children from all forms of sexual exploitation and violence.
I have to admit: I would feel some satisfaction to see Sai Baba behind bars. I had wished him there far earlier. On the other side, I feel somewhat disappointed, because I had wished him in jail for different reasons. Even if there were not a single case of sexual abuse, there would have been more than enough reasons to award him with life imprisonment. He is guilty of deceit, of claiming authority under misrepresentation of facts, of unscrupulous mental misuse of millions of weak minded and gullible victims. Indian Rationalists have fought against Sai Baba for the last 40 years and exposed him again and again as fraud. Prof. Abraham Thomas Kovoor, an Indian Rationalist who lived in Sri Lanka and lead the Rationalist Association there has been the first to publicly challenge Sai Baba. During the Divine Miracle Exposure Campaigns the Indian Rationalist Association has organized with Kovoor, he traveled through the width and breadth of India several times and unleashed a mass campaign against Sai Baba. Since the death of Kovoor in 1978, many rationalist stalwarts have taken up the cudgels of fight to expose Sai Baba. I have been personally involved in these campaigns since then.
Over the years Sai Baba’s public image seemed immune against all exposures. He gathered more and more devotees, built huge institutions and buildings in India and abroad and commanded unusual political clout. His birth day celebrations were pompous public shows bringing to his feet top politicians including Presidents and Prime Ministers of India and top industrialists. But of late things changed. Systematic campaigns of Indian Rationalists bore fruits and the fame of his miraculous capacities suffered serious damage. A videotape of Sai Baba producing a golden chain from ‘thin air’ by actually taking it from the bottom of a plate where it was pasted was smuggled out from the studios of the government television channel and copies were circulated widely by rationalists. Later this clipping, which caught Sai Baba red handed, became a part of Guru Busters, the British television documentary on Indian Rationalists. Guru Busters was shown in twelve countries over widely viewed channels. I have been invited several times to explain and demonstrate the famous Sai Baba miracles in TV. Thanks to our work the public awareness about the simple tricks behind Sai Baba’s miracles had increased considerably. Sai Baba started avoiding the media in fear of further public exposure. During the last visit of Sai Baba to Delhi, the very same evening, I had the opportunity to explain and show his miracles in one of the largest television net works in India. Unable to face criticism, this time Sai Baba abstained from doing miracles and avoided the media. Slowly the curtain seemed to come down for the holy man.
With the devastating new exposure of child sex and rape charges, it may become dark soon for Sai Baba. Or will he have another trick up his sleeve to survive untainted?
US LAWYER’S TESTIMONY ON SATHYA SAI BABA SEX ABUSE
I was a member of the "sai" organization from 1981 until June 2, 2000, when I, like many of you, resigned in horror and disgust after learning that "sai" was a pedophile, and definitely not an avatar. I have been an attorney in the Chicago area since 1985. From 1987 to 1989, I worked as an attorney in the County Public Guardian's Office, providing legal representation in Juvenile Court to children who were victims of sexual and physical abuse and neglect. G. asked me to write to remind you of a few things.
First, victims and witnesses who are willing to tell the truth about their experiences are the key to exposing the pedophilia. All reasonable efforts must be made to find the victims and witnesses willing to tell the truth.
There may be potential victims and witnesses we haven't thought of while going through this shocking experience. It can't hurt to ask. Even though the words may be difficult initially, if even one hesitant, queasy question uncovers a new victim or witness, the effort will have been worth it.
Witnesses who can confirm details which may seem minor at first can still be important in assembling a case. The defenders of pedophilia have an easier time defending it when the victims are fewer, and isolated. It's easier to call them "delusional" then.
Which brings me to my second point: we need to provide support in whatever way we can to the victims and their families. This has been horrible and shocking for my family, and we don't have an actual victim of "sai's" pedophilia in our family. I can only imagine the pain of the victims and their families, and my heart goes out to them. I know some victims and families may possibly read this, and if you are, I salute you for your courage and compassion in speaking out to try and stop future abuse. Please let us know what, if anything, we can do.
Finally, we need to support each other through this difficult time. I'm not even sure what we can do - I just know we should try.
Sincerely,
Matt Monahan. Chicago
First, victims and witnesses who are willing to tell the truth about their experiences are the key to exposing the pedophilia. All reasonable efforts must be made to find the victims and witnesses willing to tell the truth.
There may be potential victims and witnesses we haven't thought of while going through this shocking experience. It can't hurt to ask. Even though the words may be difficult initially, if even one hesitant, queasy question uncovers a new victim or witness, the effort will have been worth it.
Witnesses who can confirm details which may seem minor at first can still be important in assembling a case. The defenders of pedophilia have an easier time defending it when the victims are fewer, and isolated. It's easier to call them "delusional" then.
Which brings me to my second point: we need to provide support in whatever way we can to the victims and their families. This has been horrible and shocking for my family, and we don't have an actual victim of "sai's" pedophilia in our family. I can only imagine the pain of the victims and their families, and my heart goes out to them. I know some victims and families may possibly read this, and if you are, I salute you for your courage and compassion in speaking out to try and stop future abuse. Please let us know what, if anything, we can do.
Finally, we need to support each other through this difficult time. I'm not even sure what we can do - I just know we should try.
Sincerely,
Matt Monahan. Chicago
Thursday, 21 June 2007
TESTIMONY OFA FORMER SAI BABA LEADER
E-mail received from Shirley Pike, Ex-President, NC Region: Ex-President Cedar Rapids Sathya Sai Baba Center, Iowa. (psychologist, sexual abuse counsellor)
May 28, 2000
Dear brothers, sisters, and officers of the North Central Region and The Central Council [of the Sathya Sai Society, USA],
It is with great pain and sadness that I am writing to you today. One week ago, I resigned as president of the North Central Region, giving verbal notification to the National Coordinator, William Harvey. Serving the North Central Region's centers, study groups, and individual devotees has been one of the most joyful and fulfilling experiences of my life. Never have I had the privilege of knowing so many wonderful, loving, giving, and spiritually dedicated people. I thank all of you for your gracious and kind support of me as we worked together for our spiritual growth and development.
The reason for my resignation will probably dismay and shock many of you. A few weeks ago I received information from a fellow long-time devotee of an e-mail she had received concerning acts of pedophilia by Sathya Sai Baba. I had the e-mail forwarded to me and I personally investigated the information contained in that e-mail. I spoke personally to various individuals who had first hand experience with inappropriate behavior by Sai Baba. These individuals are respectable, credible, intelligent and have no axes to grind of any sort. I came away from these conversations believing these individuals and have therefore resigned and am sending you this letter. I am in the midst of a personal grieving process, involving all the typical stages of grief, including shock, denial, bargaining, profound sadness, despair, and acceptance.
I am grieving because I believe that Sathya Sai Baba is a charlatan, who has used the power gained by the love and reverence of his followers and the truth of ancient Vedic Doctrines and Scriptures to sexually molest boys and young men from about the ages of eight to thirty. It is these allegations of unspeakable, abhorrent sexual molestation that force me to write this letter to you. I have personally investigated these allegations and spoken with several people who have either had direct personal sexual experiences or who know someone very well, i.e. an immediate family member, who has been abused. Two of these individuals are former regional officers, who have resigned their posts and whom I have known for many years. I trust them, know them to have exemplary character and believe they would not lie. Further, they have nothing to gain and everything to lose by coming forward with their experiences.
These experiences include numerous accounts of Sai Baba rubbing male genitals with oil, mutual masturbation, mutual oral sexual gratification, and even anal intercourse by Sai Baba. As a child psychologist who is familiar with the emotional devastation that sexual abuse causes its victims and the classic patterns of abuse, I found these accounts and the individuals' reactions, to my horror, highly credible.
As a school psychologist, I am a mandatory reporter. This means that under Iowa law I am required to report any allegation or well founded suspicion to the authorities. If Sai Baba were a mere trickster fleecing people for their money, I would prefer to go quietly into the night, preserve my friendships with devotees, and not disrupt the faith of others. But, as an officer who has promoted Sathya Sai Baba as an avatar, I have both a moral and a legal obligation to warn all of the members and officers in this region and the national leaders that any male between approximately the ages of eight and thirty is potentially at risk for sexual molestation should they go to India to see Sathya Sai Baba and have a private interview.
I do not expect anyone to take what I am saying at face value. If you wish to investigate on your own as I have done, then feel free to contact me and I will provide you with the information to reach those who have had direct experiences and you can make your own determination. Please begin by looking at "The Findings" by David Bailey. (http://saibaba-invigilator.blogspot.com/2006/12/findings-by-david-and-faye-bailey-uk.html)
I do not wish to engage in arguments or debate. My heart goes out to one and all and my love for you remains steadfast. I will miss your good company more than you can know. May God bless you and keep you, and give you peace.
Love Shirley Pike.
May 28, 2000
Dear brothers, sisters, and officers of the North Central Region and The Central Council [of the Sathya Sai Society, USA],
It is with great pain and sadness that I am writing to you today. One week ago, I resigned as president of the North Central Region, giving verbal notification to the National Coordinator, William Harvey. Serving the North Central Region's centers, study groups, and individual devotees has been one of the most joyful and fulfilling experiences of my life. Never have I had the privilege of knowing so many wonderful, loving, giving, and spiritually dedicated people. I thank all of you for your gracious and kind support of me as we worked together for our spiritual growth and development.
The reason for my resignation will probably dismay and shock many of you. A few weeks ago I received information from a fellow long-time devotee of an e-mail she had received concerning acts of pedophilia by Sathya Sai Baba. I had the e-mail forwarded to me and I personally investigated the information contained in that e-mail. I spoke personally to various individuals who had first hand experience with inappropriate behavior by Sai Baba. These individuals are respectable, credible, intelligent and have no axes to grind of any sort. I came away from these conversations believing these individuals and have therefore resigned and am sending you this letter. I am in the midst of a personal grieving process, involving all the typical stages of grief, including shock, denial, bargaining, profound sadness, despair, and acceptance.
I am grieving because I believe that Sathya Sai Baba is a charlatan, who has used the power gained by the love and reverence of his followers and the truth of ancient Vedic Doctrines and Scriptures to sexually molest boys and young men from about the ages of eight to thirty. It is these allegations of unspeakable, abhorrent sexual molestation that force me to write this letter to you. I have personally investigated these allegations and spoken with several people who have either had direct personal sexual experiences or who know someone very well, i.e. an immediate family member, who has been abused. Two of these individuals are former regional officers, who have resigned their posts and whom I have known for many years. I trust them, know them to have exemplary character and believe they would not lie. Further, they have nothing to gain and everything to lose by coming forward with their experiences.
These experiences include numerous accounts of Sai Baba rubbing male genitals with oil, mutual masturbation, mutual oral sexual gratification, and even anal intercourse by Sai Baba. As a child psychologist who is familiar with the emotional devastation that sexual abuse causes its victims and the classic patterns of abuse, I found these accounts and the individuals' reactions, to my horror, highly credible.
As a school psychologist, I am a mandatory reporter. This means that under Iowa law I am required to report any allegation or well founded suspicion to the authorities. If Sai Baba were a mere trickster fleecing people for their money, I would prefer to go quietly into the night, preserve my friendships with devotees, and not disrupt the faith of others. But, as an officer who has promoted Sathya Sai Baba as an avatar, I have both a moral and a legal obligation to warn all of the members and officers in this region and the national leaders that any male between approximately the ages of eight and thirty is potentially at risk for sexual molestation should they go to India to see Sathya Sai Baba and have a private interview.
I do not expect anyone to take what I am saying at face value. If you wish to investigate on your own as I have done, then feel free to contact me and I will provide you with the information to reach those who have had direct experiences and you can make your own determination. Please begin by looking at "The Findings" by David Bailey. (http://saibaba-invigilator.blogspot.com/2006/12/findings-by-david-and-faye-bailey-uk.html)
I do not wish to engage in arguments or debate. My heart goes out to one and all and my love for you remains steadfast. I will miss your good company more than you can know. May God bless you and keep you, and give you peace.
Love Shirley Pike.
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
Sathya Sai Baba male sexual abuse
Testimony of Sathya Sai baba's sexual abuses posted by ex-devotee and sexually-molested adult, Conny Larsson of Sweden in July 2000
(see also http://www.saibabaexpose.com/saibabaexposed.htm)
My name is CONNY LARSSON from Sweden. I’m an ex-devotee of Sai Baba.
My profession is as a therapist, one of drug addicts and criminals; disordered people. I’m also the Director of this Institute since 20 years and it is all financed by the Swedish Goverment. I’m also a former actor, which ended in 1975.
It has come to my attention by others that a Coordinator from the Swedish Sathya Sai Organisation has published on internet a site about me and my experiences with Sai Baba. What I find is that it is more a personal attack on me than reason from a sane person, therefore I will not go down to his level of writing etc.
I will concentrate on facts and answer the wrong sayings for you to have a correct picture of what have occurred.
The name of the Coordinator is BJÖRN SANDSTRÖM a former very good friend of me as also his family members were. I still consider these people as good humans and I respect their opinion about me.
Everyone has to have the right to feel, think and express their belief. It has never been my intention to go on internet but now I have to answer due to direct lies that are coming from representatives from the Sai Organisation. This will also be my only appearance on the internet.
Now to the wrong information that BJÖRN SANDSTRÖM has informed all the internet readers:
1. I, Conny Larsson was the national coordinator for two years. I was chosen in consensus by all the members at the meeting. I upheld the position at the same time when Britt-Marie Andén was holding the chairmanship as national coordinator.
Britt-Marie the left the organisation due to the same reason as all others; sex molestation of boys, cheating, fraud etc.
2. I was never a center leader, I was vice-leader for the Gusum center in Sweden which we all in consensus closed as soon as it was absolutely clear beyond all doubts what Sai Baba was doing with young boys in India, Westeners as well as Indians.
3. According to the mentioned boy which B. S. mentioned by name in the site he wrote on internet, it might be true that he wasn’t a member, but he was participating in different courses which the Sai organisation was holding. He was also one of the Swedish boys who was included in the Swedish group led by the Swedish national coordinator med. dr. Jörgen Mölgaard.
During the interviews in January -99, the boy felt molested in different ways, all sexual. He pleaded for my help as a human and as a well-known Sai-personality since dr. Jörgen Mölgaard didn’t pay any attention to his problems with Sai Baba, even when it was brought to his attention. We also had to approach the Sai organisation on the boys due to the growing and on-going abuses of the boys.
The Sai organisation arranged a meeting for everyone to share their opinion on the matters. Certain people was chosen or invited to participate. I was also invited to the meeting on the request of the molested boys. They wanted me there to support the truth of their experience. And so I did. On the meeting I for the first time told my whole story with Baba, on the sexual issue.
Many people have asked me "why have you not told this before?"
This was the reason:
When I was 4 years old up to 8 years I was abused orally by my father’s alchoholic friend. This occurred during the nights when my father had fallen asleep, usually Friday evening/night.
This caused me to loose my ability to speak. I was mute all up to age of 12 when I started to get professional help.
I of course was trying to cope with this situation that had happened to me and buried it far away in my subconcious. Much later in life I had to partake in a seven years psychoanalysis which made me fully aware of what had happened me in life and why I lost my ability to speak for so many years.
When Sai Baba abused me (1979-1983) he had already been my chosen GOD-idol, I met him first in Puttaparthi 1978. When he made this passes on me which later became all from masturbating to oral sex I chose to keep my image of God and let him carry out his sexual activities as he wanted.
He called it healing or changing of my Kundalini etc.
When I came home in June ’99, I had to seek professional help to try to understand for myself how I could let this happen to me.
The psychiatrist that I used was one of the well-known deprogrammers in the therapist realm.
After many, many hours he declared his "diagnosis" namely "psycho infantile", meaning that I was just
as a little child absolute innocent that had to put up with whatever grown-ups did with me, including GOD’s decision to act upon me in whatever way. I had built in this pattern in me so deeply since my childhood-experience that it was just automatically.
The GOD that I had chosen USED his position and went on me with his absolutely private needs of sexual satisfaction and I didn’t protest.
Not until I was asked by the boys to help them I woke up in my professional role as a therapist of molested people and acted accordingly. I have done so ever since even if it has caused me considerable pain.
4. On the earlier mentioned meeting with the Sai organisation and its leaders we all agreed with the boys never to mention their names orally or in writing. Everyone was absolutely clear over that and it was a matter of confidence. The story could be told but not the names.
What B. S. is doing now is to publish names that never were meant to come out. I can only hope that it doesn’t hurt them to much in their way of trying to cope with life.
But the way Mr. Sandström, representative of the Sathya Sai organisation is handling the situation is very worrying and speaks more about himself.
5. According to the knowing of Sai Babas misconduct relating to sexual abuses and cheating with materialisations it’s absolutely clear that the Sai Organisation leaders have known what was going on all the time. We, many of the victims, have personally talked by phone to these people, when we tried to understand what was happening with us, but they all told us that this was "Divine" and we had to put up with it. We have talked to leaders as the American leaders dr. Michael Goldstein, Phyllis Krystal, Hal Honig, Datuk Jagadeeshan of Malaysia, Bernhard Gruber of Germany, Steen Piculell and Thorbjørn Meyer of Denmark etc. and many, many others.
They have all expressed the same opinion "it’s divine". They never listened to how we felt, how hurt we were. And especially they left us without any help. (Sai Baba’s saying: "Help ever, hurt never" doesn’t apply inside the organisation at all.)
6. I’m very happy to hear that there are only 25 members left in the Sai organisation in Sweden and I’m very worried that so many as 500 still keeps on going to an organisation that are cooperating with a clearly pedofile activity that is going on in Puttaparthi. Sai officials are constantly going down with new people and are exposing these boys who go to India for the possibility of being molested by Sai Baba. They are thereby making themselves pimps for him. My pray to all mothers and fathers is believe what you want but don’t expose your children for the possibility of being molested.
I truly with all my heart mean this since I was myself a victim and a member of this dreadful sect, where so many serious people loose themselves.
I’m sorry to have needed to share this very negative news with you, butthe Sai organisations’ handling of the Sai-sexual/fraud affairs had to be dealt with clearly.
To all of you readers I bow down
Sincerely yours
Conny Larsson Director of Kärnan Institute
(see also http://www.saibabaexpose.com/saibabaexposed.htm)
My name is CONNY LARSSON from Sweden. I’m an ex-devotee of Sai Baba.
My profession is as a therapist, one of drug addicts and criminals; disordered people. I’m also the Director of this Institute since 20 years and it is all financed by the Swedish Goverment. I’m also a former actor, which ended in 1975.
It has come to my attention by others that a Coordinator from the Swedish Sathya Sai Organisation has published on internet a site about me and my experiences with Sai Baba. What I find is that it is more a personal attack on me than reason from a sane person, therefore I will not go down to his level of writing etc.
I will concentrate on facts and answer the wrong sayings for you to have a correct picture of what have occurred.
The name of the Coordinator is BJÖRN SANDSTRÖM a former very good friend of me as also his family members were. I still consider these people as good humans and I respect their opinion about me.
Everyone has to have the right to feel, think and express their belief. It has never been my intention to go on internet but now I have to answer due to direct lies that are coming from representatives from the Sai Organisation. This will also be my only appearance on the internet.
Now to the wrong information that BJÖRN SANDSTRÖM has informed all the internet readers:
1. I, Conny Larsson was the national coordinator for two years. I was chosen in consensus by all the members at the meeting. I upheld the position at the same time when Britt-Marie Andén was holding the chairmanship as national coordinator.
Britt-Marie the left the organisation due to the same reason as all others; sex molestation of boys, cheating, fraud etc.
2. I was never a center leader, I was vice-leader for the Gusum center in Sweden which we all in consensus closed as soon as it was absolutely clear beyond all doubts what Sai Baba was doing with young boys in India, Westeners as well as Indians.
3. According to the mentioned boy which B. S. mentioned by name in the site he wrote on internet, it might be true that he wasn’t a member, but he was participating in different courses which the Sai organisation was holding. He was also one of the Swedish boys who was included in the Swedish group led by the Swedish national coordinator med. dr. Jörgen Mölgaard.
During the interviews in January -99, the boy felt molested in different ways, all sexual. He pleaded for my help as a human and as a well-known Sai-personality since dr. Jörgen Mölgaard didn’t pay any attention to his problems with Sai Baba, even when it was brought to his attention. We also had to approach the Sai organisation on the boys due to the growing and on-going abuses of the boys.
The Sai organisation arranged a meeting for everyone to share their opinion on the matters. Certain people was chosen or invited to participate. I was also invited to the meeting on the request of the molested boys. They wanted me there to support the truth of their experience. And so I did. On the meeting I for the first time told my whole story with Baba, on the sexual issue.
Many people have asked me "why have you not told this before?"
This was the reason:
When I was 4 years old up to 8 years I was abused orally by my father’s alchoholic friend. This occurred during the nights when my father had fallen asleep, usually Friday evening/night.
This caused me to loose my ability to speak. I was mute all up to age of 12 when I started to get professional help.
I of course was trying to cope with this situation that had happened to me and buried it far away in my subconcious. Much later in life I had to partake in a seven years psychoanalysis which made me fully aware of what had happened me in life and why I lost my ability to speak for so many years.
When Sai Baba abused me (1979-1983) he had already been my chosen GOD-idol, I met him first in Puttaparthi 1978. When he made this passes on me which later became all from masturbating to oral sex I chose to keep my image of God and let him carry out his sexual activities as he wanted.
He called it healing or changing of my Kundalini etc.
When I came home in June ’99, I had to seek professional help to try to understand for myself how I could let this happen to me.
The psychiatrist that I used was one of the well-known deprogrammers in the therapist realm.
After many, many hours he declared his "diagnosis" namely "psycho infantile", meaning that I was just
as a little child absolute innocent that had to put up with whatever grown-ups did with me, including GOD’s decision to act upon me in whatever way. I had built in this pattern in me so deeply since my childhood-experience that it was just automatically.
The GOD that I had chosen USED his position and went on me with his absolutely private needs of sexual satisfaction and I didn’t protest.
Not until I was asked by the boys to help them I woke up in my professional role as a therapist of molested people and acted accordingly. I have done so ever since even if it has caused me considerable pain.
4. On the earlier mentioned meeting with the Sai organisation and its leaders we all agreed with the boys never to mention their names orally or in writing. Everyone was absolutely clear over that and it was a matter of confidence. The story could be told but not the names.
What B. S. is doing now is to publish names that never were meant to come out. I can only hope that it doesn’t hurt them to much in their way of trying to cope with life.
But the way Mr. Sandström, representative of the Sathya Sai organisation is handling the situation is very worrying and speaks more about himself.
5. According to the knowing of Sai Babas misconduct relating to sexual abuses and cheating with materialisations it’s absolutely clear that the Sai Organisation leaders have known what was going on all the time. We, many of the victims, have personally talked by phone to these people, when we tried to understand what was happening with us, but they all told us that this was "Divine" and we had to put up with it. We have talked to leaders as the American leaders dr. Michael Goldstein, Phyllis Krystal, Hal Honig, Datuk Jagadeeshan of Malaysia, Bernhard Gruber of Germany, Steen Piculell and Thorbjørn Meyer of Denmark etc. and many, many others.
They have all expressed the same opinion "it’s divine". They never listened to how we felt, how hurt we were. And especially they left us without any help. (Sai Baba’s saying: "Help ever, hurt never" doesn’t apply inside the organisation at all.)
6. I’m very happy to hear that there are only 25 members left in the Sai organisation in Sweden and I’m very worried that so many as 500 still keeps on going to an organisation that are cooperating with a clearly pedofile activity that is going on in Puttaparthi. Sai officials are constantly going down with new people and are exposing these boys who go to India for the possibility of being molested by Sai Baba. They are thereby making themselves pimps for him. My pray to all mothers and fathers is believe what you want but don’t expose your children for the possibility of being molested.
I truly with all my heart mean this since I was myself a victim and a member of this dreadful sect, where so many serious people loose themselves.
I’m sorry to have needed to share this very negative news with you, butthe Sai organisations’ handling of the Sai-sexual/fraud affairs had to be dealt with clearly.
To all of you readers I bow down
Sincerely yours
Conny Larsson Director of Kärnan Institute
Wednesday, 6 June 2007
Sathya Sai Baba Murders Evidence
A NEW ZEALAND BARRISTER ANALYSES POLICE EVIDENCE
Warren C. Pyke LLN (Hons.) LLM (VUW), Barrister, New Zealand 3-3-1993
I COMMENT ON THE Remand Report of the Superintendent of Police, CID Cuddapah. Assuming that his findings have not been materially contradicted, which is the position as I understand it, his report clearly calls for a thorough and impartial inquiry into the deaths in Sai Baba’s room. Any one of the following grounds would be sufficient in my opinion, but combined the case for such an inquiry is overwhelming.
a) The contradictory eye-witness evidence of V. Jagadish, contradictory that is to the local Police Officer’s statements – the fact that he observed the broken door before the police arrived and was possibly the last independent witness to speak to the deceased makes his evidence significant and most material;
b) The contradictory eye-witness evidence of D. Peddireddy, contradictory that is to the local Police Officer’s statements – he says that he broke the wooden plank that was holding the door and saw the deceased in the room after he did so, once again this is most significant material and corroborates the evidence of Jagadish;
c) The absence of injury to the CI and the nature of the minor injuries to the other Police Constables is inconsistent with their story of a struggle and their need to open fire, but is not inconsistent (I deliberately use a double negative here) with the account of Jagadish and Peddireddy;
d) The position of the deceased after death is inconsistent with the Police version but consistent with them still being in the room after the door was broken, as observed by Jagadish and Peddireddy;
e) The nature of the gunshot wounds to the deceased are entirely inconsistent with the Police Officer’s claim of self-defence but are entirely consistent with a very close range discharge;
f) The fact that the bodies were moved is sufficient to warrant an inquiry as this clearly shows that the crime scene was deliberately altered after the fact;
g) The absence of possession by the deceased of the alleged knives after death strongly suggests that they posed no threat to the Officers, although it cannot be ruled out that the knives were dropped in the alleged melee;
h) The evidence about when the shots were heard: independent and reputable witnesses, Balachandra, Sahani, Vatsava all say 1 a.m., which is consistent with the post mortem report as to time of death; this contradicts the Police evidence by a full 1 ½ hours (11.30 p.m. cf 1 a.m.): this cannot be explained by any suggested error in the post mortem;
i) The number of rounds discharged and the position of the bullets after firing show that some firing was not directed at a specific target. Given the police assertion of self-defence which, if believed, would suggest that the firing would have been carefully aimed so as to avoid shooting their fellow officers (given the confined space), the Police evidence as to the nature of their firing is incredible.
Given the matters outlined in the Remand Report, the failure to further investigate and prosecute the Police Officers involved is a shame and a disgrace to the law enforcement body responsible and to the judiciary who have consistently failed to intervene. No self-respecting and principled law enforcement body or judicial system would tolerate such a situation. In the case of multiple murders, there can be no justification for ignoring.
Warren C. Pyke, (4th Floor, NZI Building, Garden Place, Hamilton, New Zealand)
Sai Baba murders on June 6, 1993 news reports
Warren C. Pyke LLN (Hons.) LLM (VUW), Barrister, New Zealand 3-3-1993
I COMMENT ON THE Remand Report of the Superintendent of Police, CID Cuddapah. Assuming that his findings have not been materially contradicted, which is the position as I understand it, his report clearly calls for a thorough and impartial inquiry into the deaths in Sai Baba’s room. Any one of the following grounds would be sufficient in my opinion, but combined the case for such an inquiry is overwhelming.
a) The contradictory eye-witness evidence of V. Jagadish, contradictory that is to the local Police Officer’s statements – the fact that he observed the broken door before the police arrived and was possibly the last independent witness to speak to the deceased makes his evidence significant and most material;
b) The contradictory eye-witness evidence of D. Peddireddy, contradictory that is to the local Police Officer’s statements – he says that he broke the wooden plank that was holding the door and saw the deceased in the room after he did so, once again this is most significant material and corroborates the evidence of Jagadish;
c) The absence of injury to the CI and the nature of the minor injuries to the other Police Constables is inconsistent with their story of a struggle and their need to open fire, but is not inconsistent (I deliberately use a double negative here) with the account of Jagadish and Peddireddy;
d) The position of the deceased after death is inconsistent with the Police version but consistent with them still being in the room after the door was broken, as observed by Jagadish and Peddireddy;
e) The nature of the gunshot wounds to the deceased are entirely inconsistent with the Police Officer’s claim of self-defence but are entirely consistent with a very close range discharge;
f) The fact that the bodies were moved is sufficient to warrant an inquiry as this clearly shows that the crime scene was deliberately altered after the fact;
g) The absence of possession by the deceased of the alleged knives after death strongly suggests that they posed no threat to the Officers, although it cannot be ruled out that the knives were dropped in the alleged melee;
h) The evidence about when the shots were heard: independent and reputable witnesses, Balachandra, Sahani, Vatsava all say 1 a.m., which is consistent with the post mortem report as to time of death; this contradicts the Police evidence by a full 1 ½ hours (11.30 p.m. cf 1 a.m.): this cannot be explained by any suggested error in the post mortem;
i) The number of rounds discharged and the position of the bullets after firing show that some firing was not directed at a specific target. Given the police assertion of self-defence which, if believed, would suggest that the firing would have been carefully aimed so as to avoid shooting their fellow officers (given the confined space), the Police evidence as to the nature of their firing is incredible.
Given the matters outlined in the Remand Report, the failure to further investigate and prosecute the Police Officers involved is a shame and a disgrace to the law enforcement body responsible and to the judiciary who have consistently failed to intervene. No self-respecting and principled law enforcement body or judicial system would tolerate such a situation. In the case of multiple murders, there can be no justification for ignoring.
Warren C. Pyke, (4th Floor, NZI Building, Garden Place, Hamilton, New Zealand)
Sai Baba murders on June 6, 1993 news reports
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