Barwala (Haryana): A huge cache of arms, a private swimming pool, state-of-the-art elevators and 24 AC rooms with one having a massage bed were found inside the highly-fortified Satlok Ashram from where 'godman' Rampal was "smoked out".
The shocking details came to the fore during the police operation to nab the "mouse" -- the code name used for the controversial 63-year-old engineer-turned-preacher, who was arrested on Wednesday in a murder case.
The cops came across a number of almirahs. From two almirahs police has found .32 bore revolvers, .315 bore rifles and 12 bore guns. The officials found some ammunition, including several rounds used in self-loading rifles (SLR) and 303 rifles.
Most of the weapons were kept in bags and almirahs in two secret rooms. In the centre of the Ashram, Rampal had an elevated structure on which he had his seat. The ammunition was stored under the structure so that no one could suspect the location.
Sant Rampal in police custody at Panchkula (Photo: PTI)
The Ashram, built like a fortress, is surrounded by high walls with watchtowers. A special room was set up within the Ashram for his securitymen comprising private commandos.
The sprawling complex was found to be under constant surveillance with CCTV cameras installed at several key-points to keep a tab on the movements of devotees, who largely came from low-income strata.
At the entrance of Ashram, spread over 12 acres adjacent to Chandigarh-Hissar national highway in Hissar district of Haryana, police found metal detectors to check the devotees.
The AC rooms in the Ashram, which could be compared to a starred hotel or a farm house, had attached bathrooms fitted with top-of-the line fixtures. One of the rooms had a massage bed, while another a treadmill.
The 'satsang' (prayer) hall in the complex, which came up in four years, is the centre piece of the Ashram having a sitting capacity for 50,000 people.
Followers of Sant Rampal at Satlok Ashram in Hisar (Photo: PTI)
Rampal used to sit in a hydraulic chair to deliver sermons from a bullet proof enclosure as his private militia stood guard.
During the course of the operation, police stumbled upon the private swimming pool in his four-storey residential building, fitted with several air conditioners.
The Ashram ran a well-stocked kitchen that could cater to one lakh people for a month. The complex can accommodate one lakh followers at a time.
An electronic roti-making machine, having a capacity of preparing about 1,000 breads at a time, was found. During the Satsang, Rampal's aides used to collect food material to feed the devotees.
In the Satsang Hall, there was a special enclosure fitted with thick-glass from where Rampal used to deliver "spiritual instructions" to his devotees who were mainly from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Police helping followers of Sant Rampal to leave Satlok Ashram in Hisar (Photo: PTI)
The hall is surrounded by an about three-foot-high wall and iron railings. One side of the hall used to be reserved for men and the other for women devotees and children.
Rampal used to be elevated to the bulletproof cabin in the hall by means of a hydraulic lift. The hall had 3D projection facilities to screen Rampal's sermons.
The Ashram also has a medical block and a modern hospital.
A special room was set up within the Ashram for his security men comprising private commandos. The complex was found to be under constant surveillance with CCTVs installed at several key-points to keep a tab on the movements of devotees.
At the entrance of Ashram, police also found metal detectors to thoroughly check devotees. The Ashram also owns dozens of buses and vehicles, officials said.
The "fortress" saw bloody clashes on Tuesday as police tried to storm the complex to arrest Rampal for contempt of court after he repeatedly failed to appear in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in a 2006 murder case.
