What? To Stop Devotees From Drinking, Godman Made Them Drink Urine, Put Shoes In Their Mouths To ‘Banish Spirits’

In a shocking incident of superstition and inhuman activities, a self-proclaimed godman has been booked in Shiur, in Vaijapur taluka of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. The godman used to make the victims drink his urine as a remedy to give up the drinking habit.

Moreover, he used to put his shoes in the mouths of the victims to "vanish the spirits" possessing them. Allegations of inappropriate touching of women devotees were also made against the godman.

The Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (ANIS) has brought the incident to light. A case has been registered against the self-styled godman Sanjay Rangnath Pagar (50) at the Shiur police station, and he is presently at large.

Shiur village is situated in Vaijapur taluka in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. The famous Viroba temple is located in this village. People have deep faith in this temple and come here from far and remote places. This godman used to conduct his darbar in the temple premises.

Sting operation by ANIS

Constable Kishor Shantaram Agale on Thursday lodged a complaint stating that godman Pagar had performed inhuman acts on a man. Pagar had sprinkled Bhandara on this man and forcibly placed his shoes on the victim’s nose. In another incident, he was seen standing on the back of a man to remove a spirit allegedly possessing the victim. He also severely beat the victim with a stick. A video of the incident went viral on social media.

ANIS members Ritesh Santosh Holkar and Jagdish Sojwal conducted a sting operation and brought the inhuman activities to light.

Earlier, Pagar used to provide horses for wedding processions. As this business brought little income, he took up the role of a godman a few days ago at the Viroba temple premises. He used to offer advice to people visiting the temple to resolve their problems. He conducted his darbar on Sundays and Thursdays, according to local residents.