The Persecution of Shrii Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar and Prout

Shrii Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar, 1922-1990. Jailed in India 1971-78, poisoned by jail authorities on February 12 1973.

On the below pages, documents and reports on the history of the persecution of Shrii Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar are found. The long history of this persecution stretches from the beginnings of the mother organisation Ananda Marga in the 1950s and has not yet ended. It culminated when Shrii Sarkar was arrested in Patna, India in December 1971 on false murder charges.

Documents related to the persecution of Shrii Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar and the Ananda Marga organisation
Further material related to the persecution
Shrii Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar’s talk on the persecution of himself and Prout by the Indian government

The government attempted to kill Shrii Sarkar in jail while administering barbiturate poisoning on February 12th 1973. A judicial enquiry was demanded to probe the poisoning case, but the government paid a deaf ear. Shrii Sarkar then decided to go on an indefinite fast to protest against the inhuman attitude of the then government.

All democratic means were utilized to restore justice to Shrii Sarkar throughout the world, but all peaceful demonstrations were turned down with brute force in India. In short, all sorts of oppressive ways were utilized by the government of India just to eliminate the Prout organization.

In June 1975, the Government of India declared emergency. Press, paper and all other liberties were curtailed. After two weeks the Prout organization was banned. In fact, out of the fifteen or so organisations banned by the Indian government during the Emergency, more than half of them were socio-spiritual service organisations founded and led by Shrii Sarkar. All property of those organisations was confiscated, thousands of their members owere thrown behind the bars without any legal justification.

It was unfortunate that in this emergency period Shrii Sarkar’s trial was conducted and he was convicted on November 26th 1976 for life. In January 1977, the emergency was revoked and fresh elections were proposed. The people of India demonstrated their anger against the tyrannical leadership by voting the Congress party out of power. The caretaker government immediately revoked the ban order on the Prout organization and cadres and members were all duly released from jail. Within a short time the organization was rebuilt to its pre-emergency state. Simultaneously it became clear that the main organization Ananda Marga had spread to more than 60 overseas countries during the time of its trials in India.

Shrii Sarkar’s case was appealed in the High Court against the session court’s one-sided verdict in the Emergency period. The neutral High Court declared Shrii Sarkar faultless and proceedings were dismissed. Shrii Sarkar remained nearly seven years in jail out of which he was fasting five years and six months simply by drinking two cups of buttermilk a day. His story adds abundant proof to the fact that great personalities are always opposed from every corner but finally they stand victorious.

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