A 54-year-old UK woman has shared her horrific experience of being raised in the sex cult of Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, aka Osho, where she was allegedly forced to undergo sexual abuse as a minor in the name of “free love.” In an interview with The Times , the victim, Prem Sargam narrated the rampant sexual abuse which began when she was six, across three Sannyasin communities – or ‘ashrams’- she grew up in. “We were innocent children, exploited and abused in the name of spiritual enlightenment,” she said.
While describing her nightmare, Sargam said that her father abandoned their home in the UK to join the cult’s ashram in Pune when she was just six years old. He sought spiritual enlightenment as a sannyasin, leaving Sargam and her mother behind. 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.
Osho’s movement believes in a philosophy that children should regularly watch sex and that girls as they reach a pubic age should be guided by adult men on their sexual journeys. “The other message of sannyasin teaching, both unlawful and shattering, was quickly assimilated by those joining the cult,” Sargam said. This philosophy normalised paedophilia within the cult.
She was allegedly engaged in sexual activities at seven years old which escalated to rape at the age of 12. She vividly recalled the confusion and unease she felt as a ch.
