‘Living god’ from Coventry on trial for sexually abusing followers as young as 4

A religious leader who claimed he was a ‘living god’ has been accused of exploiting and sexually abusing his followers who say he is really ‘the devil in disguise’.

Rajinder Kalia, who is head priest at a temple in Coventry, has been accused of grooming members of his temple to believe he is ‘God’s incarnation’ while abusing young girls.

Four women have claimed they were sexually abused by him, with three more alleging they were financially exploited.

One alleged victim claims to have been sexually abused more than 1,320 times over two decades, and another said she suffered abuse as a child which made her fail her school exams.

A third said her virginity was taken in a rape in a Birmingham hotel and the fourth claims to have been hugged and kissed inappropriately when she was as young as four, before having her virginity taken as a young adult.

Three other claimants allege being subjected to financial abuse, costing them hundreds of thousands of pounds while part of the community.

Mr Kalia, 68, denied being a ‘fake guru’, and said the accusations form part of a financial conspiracy.

He told his followers he could perform miracles, including setting fire to water and squeezing blood from a lemon, the High Court heard.

He is the head of the Sidh Baba Balak Nath Ji Society of Coventry which professes the founding principles of the Hindu faith.

One of his accusers told the court she considered him to be the devil who controlled his followers like ‘puppets on a string’.

She said: ‘He isn’t an incarnation of God, he is the devil.’

Mr Kalia began preaching in 1983 after moving to the UK from India and claims he experienced miracles as a teenager.

This includes being told he would never walk again after a motorbike crash, but finding himself back on his feet after a visit to Himachal Pradesh, centre of worship of Baba Balak Nath.

Barrister Sarah Crowther KC said: ‘He believes that this was a miracle and increased his faith, particularly in the deity Baba Balak Nath.’

One of the women said she had been controlled by Mr Kalia as a child even when she was outside the UK.

She said: ‘I was told by the devil, Kalia, that I was not to have any relationship.

‘When I went to India, I could feel him watching my every move. I was paranoid, I was scared.’

Speaking of members of the temple giving evidence on his behalf, she said: ‘They’re puppets on his string, but my string has been cut.

‘They will do anything he says, but he isn’t God. He isn’t an incarnation of God, he is the devil.’

Barrister Mark Jones said Kalia’s alleged victims were ‘wholly subject to the charismatic and forceful personality of the defendant’.

He said the women who claim they were sexually abused by Mr Kalia were unable to consent due to the influence he held over them and because they were underage.

For Mr Kalia, Ms Crowther denied any wrongdoing and suggested that the claimants had come together to make a ‘fundamentally dishonest’ attempt to get money out of him.

‘The claimants, as with all attendees of the temple, have always lived their own lives in the wider community and freely chose to attend the temple and take part in the activities of its faith community,’ she said.

‘They participated willingly, for their own spiritual and personal benefit. They were free to come and go at any time of their choosing.

‘The allegations including those in respect of assault are untrue, fundamentally dishonest and the product of a conspiracy between the claimants to attempt to extort the defendant.

‘He has not harassed the claimants, but they have harassed other members of the community and sought to spread untruths about the defendant and recruit others to their conspiracy on the promise of financial reward.’

She pointed out that complaints by the women came simultaneously many years after the alleged events and that there were ‘substantial discrepancies’ between their cases in court and their complaints to the police.

‘It seems likely that the content of the false allegations was inspired by a mixture of previous experiences of some of the group, and previous allegations they had made of sexual misconduct, unrelated to the defendant, as well as media and/or internet reports of “fake gurus”.’

The trial continues.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.