The MTA Speaks: Changur baba exposed; The dark truth behind UP’s fake spiritual guru

Balrampur: The story of a mysterious religious guru that started from the Balrampur district of Uttar Pradesh has now become the reason for a nationwide debate. The name is Changur Baba. But the real identity behind the name is much more complex and shocking. According to the investigating agencies, the real name of Changur Baba is Jalaluddin.

On the surface, he was acting as a spiritual baba, but behind the scenes he was operating an organized racket, in which there have been reports of forced conversion, hawala, foreign funding, illegal property, and even a suspicious network connected to Pakistan. This entire matter has not only become a challenge for the security agencies but also raises serious questions on the country's socio-communal system.

Senior journalist Manoj Tibrewal Akash did an accurate analysis of Changur Baba in his popular show The MTA Speaks.

Revelations in the investigation

It starts from Balrampur, where Changur Baba presented himself as a religious guide, Pir, or Fakir. This person, who had studied till class 3, was considered by many as an ordinary villager, but he had also been the village head twice. Gradually, he became active in the name of helping the poor in the area and then started attracting people in the name of religion.

A large mansion built by him—which had 70 rooms, a mosque, a basement, a kitchen, and all modern facilities—was built illegally on government land. This mansion was called a 'place of faith,' but investigation revealed that it was not just a building but a hub for conversion and spreading radical ideology.

ATS arrested Baba

The Uttar Pradesh ATS first tightened the noose on Changur Baba when they got a tip-off about the conversion racket through a victim girl. In this case, Baba, along with his wife, Neetu, alias Nasreen, and other associates, wasaccused. In the statement recorded in the FIR, the victim claimed that she was lured into a love trap by Changur

Baba's people, then converted to Islam on the pretext of marriage, and was then pushed into a network that was not only connected to radical religious organizations but also to Pakistan. In this case, the ATS arrested Baba and took him on remand from 9 to 16 July, and many shocking revelations were made during the remand. The most important thing that came to light was the funding from abroad.

Raids at many of Baba's hideouts

The Enforcement Directorate (i.e., ED) investigated more than 18 bank accounts of Changur Baba and his associates, in which an amount of about ₹ 68 crore was found. Of these, an amount of ₹ 7 crore was transferred from foreign sources, and the investigating agencies suspect that this money came to India through illegal routes like hawala and human trafficking.

ED registered a case under PMLA to investigate this amount and raided many of Baba's hideouts. Along with this, the process of confiscating property worth about ₹ 40 crore was also started. The investigation also revealed that Baba and his network used to target women from economically weak, educationally deprived, and socially backward classes.

These women were brought in contact with them sometimes in the name of love, sometimes on the pretext of treatment or tantra-mantra, and then mental and physical pressure was put on them for conversion. In many cases, forced Nikah was done, and then they were also exploited. ATS also got information that in Baba's centers, youth were also given training in radical ideology, which matches the terrorist networks.

A new system on the lines of 'Darul Islam'

ED's action was not limited to bank accounts only. They audited Baba's kothi and the expenses incurred on it, in which it was found that a luxurious building was built with foreign funding, which was not only a place for conversion but had also become an undeclared training center.

Here the youth were trained under a special ideology, in which a new system on the lines of 'Darul Islam' was talked about. Videos and documents have also been recovered from Baba's laptop and documents that point towards a serious conspiracy to spread religious fanaticism.

Silence on illegal activities

After Baba's arrest, the role of government officials also gradually came under investigation. According to the report, many officers, including Balrampur's ADM, local CO, and Inspector, not only kept an eye on Changur Baba's activities but also gave him indirect protection.

ATS has also started questioning these officials in this case, and it is being investigated whether any administrative structure deliberately kept silent on Baba's illegal activities. Another big aspect that is related to this case is the reaction of the religious leadership. Bareilly's Barelvi religious leader Maulana Shahabuddin issued a fatwa and appealed to the Muslim society to be cautious about Changur Baba's activities.

Maulana said that such people are being used to defame Islam, and conversion or propagation of religion should not be done out of any greed or pressure. This statement reflects the fact that a large section of the society is also uncomfortable with the activities of Chhangur Baba.

Questions on actions

The matter became more heated when Samajwadi Party MP Virendra Singh raised questions on Baba's arrest and the actions taken against him. He said that the allegations have not been proven yet and the government is using this case to bake its political bread.

He termed it a one-sided action and demanded a fair investigation into the matter. After this statement, the debate has also intensified in the political corridors whether this case is really related to radicalism and security or it is being used for communal polarization.

Baba's Kothi demolished in Balrampur

Now the question is what will happen next. In the legal process, both ED and ATS are jointly pursuing the case under several serious sections. Cases have been registered against Chhangur Baba and his associates under various sections of PMLA, UAPA, FCRA, IPC. ED suspects that this network has also been connected to Gulf countries and Pakistani agencies.

In the documents seized by ATS, some such code words and contact details have been found, which can also be investigated by NIA. Baba's mansion in Balrampur has been demolished and the district administration has imposed a recovery of about ₹ 8.55 lakh on it. Also, the organization "JIH" (Jamiat-e-Islah-ul-Hind) run by him has been put under investigation.

Investigation agencies say that through this organization, foreign funds were brought into the country in the name of social service but it was misused to spread radical ideology.

Depends on evidence and witnesses

Now the conclusion of this entire case will depend on the evidence and witnesses presented before the court. However, the action taken so far has made it clear that this was not just the handiwork of one person, but an organized network in which attempts were being made to challenge the system of the country by misusing social, religious and political contacts.

Baba's arrest is only the beginning, and investigation agencies will have to understand how far the roots of such organizations have spread. This case has also taught us that behind the image of saints and sages seen in society, there is often a web of crime that is not possible for a common man to catch.

The media, administration and society have to be vigilant and any activity happening in the name of religion should be investigated. Through ‘The MTA Speaks’, we would like to say that when the soul of the country is attacked, when the youth is misled in the name of ideology, when religion is used as a weapon, then it is important that we do not just become silent spectators, but raise our voice – in favor of truth, with the Constitution and for the unity of society.