A 54-year-old woman has shared her harrowing experience of being raised in Indian godman Rajneesh's notorious sex cult. Prem Sargam, in an interview with The Times , detailed the rampant sexual abuse she endured from the age of six across three Sannyasin communities. Ms Sargam's nightmare began at six years old when her father abandoned their home in the UK to join the cult's ashram in Pune.
He sought spiritual enlightenment as a sannyasin, leaving Ms Sargam and her mother behind. Ms Sargam was soon drawn into the cult, forced to change her name, wear orange robes and adopt a philosophy that viewed children as obstacles to parental sexual freedom. “The other message of sannyasin teaching, both unlawful and shattering, was quickly assimilated by those joining the cult,” Ms Sargam recalled.
This philosophy normalised paedophilia within the cult. Prem Sargam's abuse began at seven years old and escalated to rape at 12. She vividly recalled the confusion and unease she felt as a child within the cult.
“Even in my seven-year-old mind, I thought what a strange thing to be doing,” she reflected. Between 7 and 11, she and her friends were coerced into performing sexual acts on grown men living in the commune. The abuse didn't stop there.
Ms Sargam was later sent to the Medina ashram in Suffolk, alone and vulnerable, under the guise of attending a “boarding school” program. However, the exploitation continued. By the time she was 12, Ms Sargam had been relocated to the US,.