UK woman recounts sexual abuse as a child in Osho cult.
A 54-year-old UK woman Prem Sargam has alleged she faced sexual abuse from the age of six while being raised in the Ashrams of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, popularly known as Osho.
In an interview with a media outlet, Sargam said children in the ‘Sannyasin’ cult led by the Indian mystic were forced to undergo such abuse in the name of ‘free love’.
She detailed how the cult viewed exposing children to sexuality as positive and that minor girls should be ‘guided’ by men regarding their bodies.
Sargam recalled being coerced into performing sexual acts on commune residents from 7-11 years and knowing ‘something wrong was going on’.
Her journey with the cult began after her father joined Osho’s Pune ashram, followed by her mother. She was made to change her name and dress, adopting their philosophy.
Later she was sent alone to the Medina ashram in the UK before relocating to the US at 12. By then she had endured over 50 rapes, the exploitation persisting across three ashrams.
Osho advocated unrestricted promiscuity from 14 and promoted unconventional methods. However, former followers allege a culture of abuse lay beneath the spiritual façade.
Sargam’s revelations have shed light on the dark underbelly of the one-time hugely popular cult amid renewed scrutiny over child protection.
