‘Exploitation & abuse’ in Osho’s cult: UK woman shares harrowing childhood experience
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New Delhi: In a poignant interview with The Times, 54-year-old Prem Sargam shared her harrowing experiences of sexual abuse within the infamous Rajneesh movement, also known as the Osho cult, founded by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Sargam’s ordeal began at the tender age of six, highlighting a dark history that has long remained hidden within the cult’s façade of spiritual enlightenment.
Sargam’s father abandoned their family in the UK to pursue what he believed was a path to spiritual fulfillment in Pune, India, leaving her and her mother to navigate life alone. Soon after, Sargam was drawn into the cult, forced to adopt a new identity and conform to its ideology, which perceived children as hindrances to adult sexual freedom. “The teachings twisted reality, normalizing behaviors that should never have been accepted,” she recounted.
The abuse started early; by the age of seven, Sargam was coerced into sexual acts with adult men in the commune. “I was confused and scared, even as a child. I knew something was wrong,” she recalled. As she grew older, the abuse escalated, with Sargam enduring multiple rapes by the time she turned twelve.
Sargam’s nightmare started when her father abandoned their family in the UK to pursue what he believed to be spiritual enlightenment at the cult’s ashram in Pune, India. Left behind with her mother, Sargam soon found herself drawn into the cult’s influence, where she was pressured to adopt a new identity, wear the cult’s signature orange robes, and adhere to a belief system that viewed children as impediments to adult sexual freedom. “The teachings were insidious, normalising behaviors that should never be accepted,” Sargam recalled, emphasizing how the philosophy of the movement enabled sexual exploitation.
Sargam’s plight continued when she was sent to the Medina ashram in Suffolk, England, under the guise of attending a “boarding school.” Instead of finding safety, she encountered further manipulation and exploitation. At age twelve, she was relocated to the United States to join her mother at the Oregon ashram, where the cycle of abuse continued.
The cult’s belief system emphasised the idea that children should be exposed to sexual experiences, particularly during puberty. Sargam described how this ideology created an environment where such exploitation was not only tolerated but encouraged. It wasn’t until she turned sixteen that she began to grasp the full extent of the abuse she had suffered.
The Rajneesh movement, which flourished in the 1970s and 80s, attracted many followers from the West seeking spiritual growth, but it concealed a dark reality behind its serene façade. While the cult gained notoriety for its controversial practices, including unrestrained sexual freedoms and lavish lifestyles—symbolized by Osho’s extensive collection of luxury cars—the abuse of children remained largely undocumented until now.
Content retrieved from: https://www.news9live.com/world/uk-woman-shares-her-experience-of-sexual-trauma-in-prem-sargam-osho-cult-2709396.
