Retired officer’s son turns ‘fake spiritual guru’:Ran Bageshwar-style divine court; exposed in reality check

In MP’s Mauganj district’s Belauhi village, a ‘Divya Darbar’ is being organized on the lines of Bageshwar Dham. Lakshmi Narayan Baba claims that he can cure even fourth-stage cancer through faith healing. Due to this claim, people are arriving here from Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh besides Madhya Pradesh. Crowds of hundreds gather on Tuesdays and Saturdays. To verify the claims, the Bhaskar team reached Belauhi, about 100 km from Rewa, and observed the process. The team conducted three reality checks, in which the Baba failed. The investigation revealed that the ‘slip system’ is pre-decided and managed. In this, selected people are called by name. To build trust, members of Baba’s own family were seen praising him. Lakshmi Narayan Baba is spreading delusion in the name of faith by organizing the Divya Darbar. Read the Sunday Story… Divine Court Under the Open Sky
Upon reaching the Divine Court, posters are visible everywhere. The event was being held amidst fields near the village, where vehicles were parked and Baba’s voice was echoing on the microphone. Before entering, people were removing their shoes and slippers. Inside, about 100 people were sitting on mats with folded hands. These included devotees from nearby districts as well as those who came from Chhattisgarh. System of Drawing Slips and Meeting People
The process of slips and meetings runs according to fixed timings. Laxminarayan Baba holds court from 9 AM to 2 PM, where devotees arrive beforehand. Baba places the Hanuman idol installed in a small wooden temple on the stage, calling it ‘Vigyan Dharma Sarkar’, and communicates with so-called powers for some time. After this, an atmosphere is created by tying a coconut on bamboo between two trees. Baba makes people chant slogans. Then, with eyes closed, without directly taking names, he gives hints about which village’s person is present and that their ‘petition’ has been filed. Same Pattern of Giving Solutions
A fixed pattern was observed in Baba’s way of giving solutions. Bhaskar’s investigation revealed that he links most cases to ‘evil spirit possession’ and ‘black magic’, but avoids naming the responsible person. Looking at the devotees’ situation, he repeatedly says the same things, such as- Baba’s attitude changed upon seeing the team
The Bhaskar team proposed to verify the truth of the darbar. After initial hesitation, he agreed. The team set two conditions- This is where the investigation of claims began.. Claims exposed in three reality checks 1. Problem was money, claimed illness
The Bhaskar team called an elderly person on stage. Baba mentioned eye irritation, headache and ‘some influence’, but the elderly person clarified that he had come with a financial problem. Baba accused him of imposing his own narrative. After the team’s intervention, the elderly person told the complete story. When Bhaskar checked the note written by Baba, there was no mention of money in it. Finally, Baba tried to salvage the situation by advising to tie a coconut. Thus, he failed the first reality check. 2. Silence on the outsider
In the second test, a person was brought whom neither Baba knew nor the team. Initially, Baba hesitated, but later gave permission to call him. His name was Brajbhan Sahu. As soon as he reached the stage, Baba tried to avoid him by referring to ‘collective petition’. He called the rest of the devotees on stage. Even upon the team’s insistence, Baba only said that he doesn’t have ghost-spirit obstacles and said he would tell next time. Even after a long wait, he could not provide any concrete information about that person. 3. Failed in the test of spiritual knowledge
Baba claims to be knowledgeable about Bhagavat, Ramayana and Geeta, but could not give clear answers to questions. He appeared evasive on questions like Gopi Geet, number of verses in Bhagavat and Navdha Bhakti. First question: Those who recite Bhagavat know Gopi Geet by heart. Answer: I know it, but cannot recite it right now. Second question: How many verses, skandhas and chapters are there in Bhagavat? Answer: Perhaps there are 18,000 verses, cannot tell the rest right now. Third question: Tell the chaupai of Navdha Bhakti in the context of Ram Katha. Answer: The company of saints and discussing God has been mentioned. Fourth Question: Recite a verse from Ram Raksha Stotra. Answer: I will be able to recite it only during the discourse. How are names known? The ‘secret’ of 500 rupees The Baba claims there is no fee in the darbar, but the investigation revealed that 500 rupees per person is charged in the name of ‘registration’. Names are recorded during this process. Later, these same names are called out from the stage, creating an impression of ‘divine knowledge’. Prafulla Kumar Tripathi, who reached the court, confirmed this and said that 500 rupees were taken from him and he was asked to come next time. Those who don’t give their names don’t get the stage
People who did not register and did not give their names were not called to the court. Lakshmikant Mishra, who came for the first time, said, I deliberately did not give my name, so I did not get a chance. There was hope, but there was disappointment. Check: People who didn’t give names were not called
To verify the claim, the reporter asked Praveen Tripathi and Salil Mishra not to register and not to give their names. Both sat in the court, but they were not called. Team for Information and Crowd Management
The investigation revealed that Baba has two main associates. One gathers information about people, the other handles the crowd and arrangements. Vikas Chaturvedi does the work of gathering information, who talks to people, understands their problems and conveys them to Baba. Shiv Prasad Shukla handles crowd management, who previously used to sing in bhajan groups. Family Members Themselves Promote the ‘Miracle’
Among those praising Baba in the court was Mudrika Prasad Mishra, who was presenting himself as an example of being cured from ‘ghost-spirit affliction’. The investigation revealed that he is a member of Baba’s family. He influences people by narrating stories. Doctors say – ‘Ghost-spirit’ claims are related to mental health
According to senior physician Dr. Yatnesh Tripathi, claims like ‘ghosts-spirits’ are often linked to mental problems. Promoting these can lead patients into depression. He said that treatment is possible through counseling and medicines, while claims like cancer being cured by sacred ash are misleading. Religious leaders also raised questions
Bhagavat Katha narrator Krishnakant Shastri said, “Those who do not have knowledge of shlokas and chaupais are not qualified to narrate religious discourses. This damages the image of Sanatan Dharma.