Sai Slurs, Part Seven

Posted: Thursday October 29, 2003

Author: Barry Pittard

Email: bpittard@beachaccess.com.au

(Those who see the evil in Baba see their own inner reality as in a mirror)

Would anyone see evil in him if he had nothing to hide, and if he and the top leaders in his organisation were not involved in profound cover-up, and increasingly damage control? Is there any scrap of difference between the cover-up of many other institutions who have hidden the extensive occurrence of sexual abuse among clergy and the profound refusal of the Sathya Sai Organisation to respond to the many allegations by members around the world of his sexual molestation of boys and young men?

My Response: Click Here to view my email correspondence with David (Dave) Lyons and how he accused me of the very same thing, i.e., "You are accusing me of what is in you"! Robert Priddy wrote a very long article about "projections" and how, whatever good we see in SSB, is a projection of our mind and has absolutely nothing to do with SSB. Using this same logic (illogic), whatever evil we see in SSB, has nothing to do with SSB, but is the result of our own "projection" as well. Click Here to view Robert Priddy's disempowerment article on projection and how it undermines Barry Pittard's observations. Instead of arguing about projections, reflections, etc., it would serve Barry Pittard's best interests if he would simply provide us with the evidence against SSB. Click Here to view my witnesses section regarding the alleged, sexual abuse victims and their testimonies.

Pro-Sathya Sai Baba activists repeatedly sidestep issues and evidence that we present. Out of the great wealth of material posted on former devotee websites, they often clearly have read no more than bits and pieces. They jump to erratic conclusions. The see evil in us. They hurl insults. They Sai Slur. Any reasonably honest, intelligent person can see the integrity that informs the general former devotee websites: http://www.exbaba.com/ and http://www.saiguru.net/, and the websites of notable former devotees and academics such as Robert Priddy (Norway): http://home.no.net/anir/Sai/enigma and Brian Steel (Australia): http://bdsteel.tripod.com/More/index.html. That Sathya Sai Baba devotees engage with former devotees at all is curious, for their guru has told them to shun the Internet.

My Response: Why doesn't Barry Pittard give us examples of how Pro-SSB Activists "sidestep issues". Anyone, who has read my site, can easily see that the only people "sidestepping" issues, are Anti-SSB Activists. My articles had been attacked (via second-hand information) by Dave Lyons and Brian Steel who admitted they had not read my site or the articles in question! Click Here to view my email correspondence with Dave Lyons. Click Here to view my email correspondence with Brian Steel. Funny enough, Anti-Sai Activists see evil in others and have gone to great extents to attack others simply for promoting or associating themselves with Sathya Sai Baba. Anti-SSB Activists "Sai Slur" all the time. Since I am not a SSB devotee, I can use the internet as I please and make whatever observations I see as relevant and just. Furthermore, SSB never told his devotees not to use the internet. SSB said that he has nothing to do with the internet. Would Barry Pittard show us where SSB said that his devotees are not supposed to use the internet?

Dr Terry Gallagher, an agricultural research scientist, was a highly respected Spiritual Coordinator of the Australian Sai Organisation. At considerable personal effort, he investigated the allegations against Sai Baba of male sexual molestation, including talking to a number of Sai Baba's college boys, and even confronted Sathya Sai Baba with the issue. He has told me that his efforts to properly investigate the allegations of sexual molestation had been, long previous to the seminal September-October 1999 Nexus article, suppressed by T. Ramanathan. His was one of the three articles in the same Issue of that magazine, along with those of Hans de Kraker (Australia) and Jens and Gurprit Sethi (Germany). In conscience, Dr Gallagher resigned - as have many office-bearers and rank-and-file members since, the world over. (A number of former devotees around the world are preparing a long, long list, and foresee producing it when the time is right). Some related comments by Dr Gallagher are at: http://home.hetnet.nl/~ex-baba/engels/witnesses/terry.html.

My Response: As I said before, Terry Gallagher never properly investigated the stories of alleged sexual abuse against SSB. For example, Terry Gallagher said that he personally investigated the stories of sexual abuse and found them to be true. Terry Gallagher cited the story of a 7 year old boy who was said to have been raped by SSB. First of all, the person who divulged this story was anonymous and refuses to divulge his/her identity (yes, another anonymous claim accepted as the truth). This anonymous story was attributed to Dr. Bhatia (perhaps because it was well known that he had been expelled from the ashram for questionable sexual relations with women at the Super Specialty Hospital where he worked). Dr. Bhatia has maintained complete silence about this whole matter. Consequently, anyone could have made this story up. As a matter of fact, Mick Brown had (allegedly) spoken to Dr. Bhatia on the phone and Dr. Bhatia never made any references to any of the claims made in the anonymous article attributed to him! No one knows where this story came from. Also, Pittard, creating more confusion, had clarified that the 7-year-old boy was not a 7-year-old boy after all! Rather, he was in the 7th grade and around 14 years old! Since there are Anti-SSB Activists in India, it is entirely possible someone posed as Dr. Bhatia. Despite all these facts, Terry Gallagher said this story is true because he verified it first-hand! Click Here to view my article about Jens Sethi.

The editor to the Nexus Magazine is Duncan M. Roads. Duncan Roads claimed (regarding alleged sexual abuse) that, "most of the administrative hierarchy already knew of this". Despite making this claim, Duncan Roads does not provide a shred of evidence to back up this allegation. Who are the people in SSB's "administrative hierarchy" who are suppressing this information and how does he know? In his NEXUS article, Volume 7, Number 5 (August-September 1999), Mr. Roads cites what he thinks are "facts" about SSB. For example, Duncan Roads alleges, "massive financial fraud, weapons and explosives being found in the ashram". Where is the proof for financial fraud? Duncan Roads does not provide any proof. Duncan Roads makes this claim, and then goes completely mute regarding the proof. This is indicative of dishonesty and deceit. What weapons and explosives were found in SSB's ashram? Explosives were found in association with the 1993 police shootings, but I have not heard of any other case of explosives and weapons being found in the ashram. Why does the editor to a magazine fail to supply the general public with factual evidence, to back up his claims, rather than citing rumors which he admits were circulating?

Duncan Roads gets his facts wrong again when he said, "Why did Baba have to be hospitalised for a ruptured appendix and a broken leg?" SSB was not hospitalized for a ruptured appendix and SSB broke his hip, not his leg. Duncan Roads also said, "Does his occasional transvestism and derision for women really illustrate the male-female principle of the universe?" Mr. Roads fails to cite even one example of SSB's alleged "transvestism" and "derision of women". In actuality, SSB praises women and mothers in almost every discourse. Where did Duncan Roads get this information? Duncan Roads wants to know why SSB's brother-in-law died of rabies? Duncan Roads implied that no one should die around SSB, that SSB should cure everyone and his devotees should never suffer. This would be a valid point if we extended it to other religious figures as well. For example, why did Jesus allow his followers to be martyred? Why was Paul beheaded? Why do Christians die of diseases, such as rabies? Of course, Duncan Roads does not want to answer these questions. Instead, he simple wants to generate more questions against SSB that he cannot answer! One would think an editor would be more informed before making blind allegations, yet here, we have the editor to NEXUS, condemning SSB without providing any proof, except for the 3 testimonies of alleged sexual abuse victims that he took from "The Findings". So what is NEXUS anyway? NEXUS magazine is listed on just about every single conspriacy page you can find. However, NEXUS denies it is a conspriacy magazine. NEXUS is a magazine that is devoted to spiritual issues, alternate health therapies, free-energy devices, UFO's, paranoia and suppressed science. Click Here to read my article about Barry Pittard and Duncan Roads.

Another highly respected leader was Stephen Carthew, a South Australian documentary film maker and a former South Australian Spiritual Coordinator. Shortly after the Nexus article, he called a meeting of devotees in Adelaide so that the allegations in the article, and from beyond it, could be made known and discussed openly by the Sathya Sai Organisation. He told the meeting that he had already by this time "spoken to three parents who have sons who have been asked to give gross sexual favours to Swami. These people are quite sane and quite clear that these events have happened to their sons." He told the meeting that "any organisation that denies the process of investigation of the alleged misconduct of one of its leaders is an organisation that falls quickly into the category of 'irregular' or even 'cult like.'" Typical of his oft-noted authoritarianism, Ramanathan cast him out. See: http://home.hetnet.nl/~ex-baba/engels/letters/carthew.html. Worldwide, other courageous and truthful individuals received the same draconian treatment. For a similar bloody-minded ejecting of a former top leader of the Russian Sathya Sai Organisation, see Serguei Badaev's report: http://saiguru.net/english/articles/10disqualification.htm.

My Response: Since Barry Pittard is repeating himself, once again, I will reiterate: Although I do not agree with they way certain people were treated by SSB Centers, I have only been able to read their side of the story. Consequently, I reserve judgment about the way these people were treated. In order make a fair assessment of these claims, both sides of the story needs to be told. I see no reason why Carthew or Badaev would lie, so I accept their accounts as being truthful. It most certainly appears that these SSB centers treated them inappropriately. Personally, I would never condone or advocate such treatement towards anyone. However, I am also keenly aware how the "other side" of the story needs to be told in order to get a correct version of factual events. Consequently, my current willingness to believe Carthew and Badaev is apt to change, or strengthen, with additional information.