Spirituality gone awry: What is Dera and what you should know about Ram Rahim

The world watched with horror this week as the rape conviction and sentencing to 20 years’ jail of “godman” Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh led to massive protests in northern parts of India.

The protests by Ram Rahim’s followers resulted in the deaths of at least 38 people in Haryana, where the court held its proceedings. Many more were injured, and widescale damage to public property has been reported.

This defence of a rapist spiritual guru is quite unexpected in a country that’s been home to intense gender activism and public