When praise becomes complicity: the moral collapse behind Dharmasthala's manufactured glory

In the aftermath of the horrifying allegations of violence and systemic abuse tied to the Dharmasthala establishment—where women are reportedly the prime victims of unspoken and buried atrocities—the response of the so-called intellectual, religious, and cultural elite has been nothing short of nauseating. Instead of demanding truth, justice, and accountability, a carefully assembled choir of favour-seekers, ritualists, and professional apologists has begun singing praises of the very institution under fire. This is not ignorance. This is complicity. And it deserves to be called out with the full weight of public contempt.

The Dharmasthala group, bloated with wealth, political backing, and decades of unchecked social power, has long positioned itself above scrutiny. But now that public anger is boiling over due to mounting evidence and testimonies regarding a pattern of brutal serial murders, this once-untouchable fortress of sanctity is scrambling to repair its image—not through truth, but through propaganda. Enter the chakravartis who wear power like a crown and the somayajis who wield rituals like weapons. These men—yes, mostly men—have warmed up to the task of whitewashing horror. They’ve found their voices, not to grieve for the victims, but to shield the powerful. And in doing so, they’ve torn apart any claim they once had to moral credibility.

It is one thing to stay silent out of fear. But it is quite another to actively lie, distort, and protect the oppressor with impunity. That is what these defenders of Dharmasthala have chosen. Their statements, brimming with falsehoods and wrapped in the language of culture and sanctity, insult the victims, mock the public, and obstruct the possibility of justice. Let us not mince words: they are enablers of crime, not protectors of culture.

We must stop treating such figures as misguided or naive. They are neither. They are fully aware of the stakes and consequences of their utterances. Many of them have benefited for decades from the largesse of this very institution—through honorary posts, media access, patronage, and other undisclosed privileges. Their loyalty is purchased. Their conscience is outsourced. And the price is paid by those at the bottom—silenced, dispossessed, and discarded.

In a just society, complicity in oppression must carry the weight of the oppression itself. These men and women who cloak lies in ceremony must be held accountable. Let them face public shaming. Let their credibility be torn down as they have torn down the possibility of truth. Their chants of "hallelujah" for power are not sacred—they are sacrilegious.

The moment has come to strip away the illusions. This is not about faith. It is about fraud dressed as faith, about power defending power, and about a people’s cry for justice being drowned by a well-rehearsed chorus of sycophants. The question is no longer who committed the crime. It is also—who helped cover it up?