© J-L M-LNeelam Makhija. He had the misfortune in France to have the look of an Indian guru
Neelam Makhija, 71, is a Canadian citizen of Indian origin. An engineer in third cycle electronics (MSEE) and holder of a master of business administration (MBA), he founded and directed a Canadian company specialized in high-tech electronic projects. Retired since 2006, he spends his time between Canada and India where his two daughters and grand-children live.
Between 2010 and 2014, he made several visits to France to see his Canadian friend Cécile Tousignant, whom he has known since 2007. She is a life coach and meditation teacher inspired by an Indian master [1] (in France and Quebec) . In 2014, she invited him, her friend, to participate in three of her meditation courses lasting respectively 2, 4 and 7 days.
Attack of the Gendarmerie
On November 24, 2014, Mr. Makhija was in Fontainebleau with a small group of 6-7 people attending a meditation course run by Ms Tousignant at her private house. At 7am one morning, a squad of gendarmerie arrived at the house and arrested Ms. Tousignant and her friend Mr. Makhija and two other participants. They intervened following a complaint filed by the father of one of Ms. Tousignant's former students. with the French Center against Mental Manipulation (CCMM)
The gendarmes, about twenty, were all armed and behaved as if they have come to save the trainees from some kind of serious imminent danger rather than a benign meditation course. Ms. Tousignant and Mr. Makhija were separated and were forced to spend one year without the right to contact each other in any way.
After a few hours of interrogation (without the presence of a lawyer), the designated translator for Mr. Makhija explained briefly the accusations against him. They claimed that he had allegedly "used fraudulent means to manipulate minds of people in a state of psychological subjection and to scam them". He had "used mental techniques and created a mysterious Indian atmosphere [editor's comment: LOL] to influence these people who were in a situation of weakness. And he belonged to 'the sect' of the guru (Indian spiritual master) Osho".
The defendants were kept in jail separately for eight weeks "because we were foreigners and because the investigating judge was too busy to meet us, "said Neelam Makhija. "The gendarmes who arrested us told the prison authorities that we were part of the sect of Osho, the sex guru".
Makhija continued: "Then the judge met me: she wanted to know everything about me, my life, Osho and the Indian gurus and the Indian spirituality. For me, it was a shock because I was just a visitor! I did not have any clients or work in France. I do not even speak the French language. They said they had pages of criminal charges against me. But I was just a tourist for three weeks in France, with a return ticket to Bombay. I did not understand why they were attacking me or my culture! "[2]
Makhija needed to return to India to his family, who were waiting for his arrival in ten days. While under arrest, he asked his assigned lawyer to contact his family. The lawyer said that he was not allowed to do so. Once in prison, he had to wait over two weeks before he could call his daughter: "My children and grandchildren were worried sick about what could have happened suddenly to their 70-year old father. Cut off from any communication, they thought I was sick or ...dead ".
"They (Miviludes) have succeed in criminalizing the Hindu eternal law (Sanatana Dharma) of India"
Neelam Makhija: "My forced stay in France gave me the opportunity to investigate the French legal system first hand. I experienced how cultural and religious discrimination is implemented by the French government.After nearly two months in prison, without due process before a court, where he could have defended himself, and after having paid a deposit of 50,000 euros, Mr. Makhija was released but forbidden to leave the territory of France (for the duration of the case) which ended up being two and a half years! If this isn't kidnapping, what is?!
Applying lengthy and obscure judicial proceedings, bureaucratic rigidity, uncaring pompous judges and extended delays due to an overloaded French court system, ordinary people, like myself, are harassed. All this, just to prevent (without much success, I could add) the influx into France of other ideas and visions of the world.
Regarding the so-called new religious movements, I have seen that almost all Indian spiritual teachers (Gurus), eminent and highly respected in India, who have had or are followed by Western disciples, are on the Miviludes list. They are classified as "sectarian excesses". This attitude of the French government, taken as a whole, succeeds in criminalizing the Indian "Sanatana Dharma" ("eternal law") and the well-established spiritual and cultural heritage of India!
Indian spiritual teachers with worldwide reputations at the United Nations, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and other European countries are on this list. Many of these spiritual teachers are dead and now, yet their devotees and practitioners are targeted and harassed. Even yoga and meditation centers of mindfulness are viewed with criminal suspicion.
"All are susceptible to the wrath of the Miviludes (the inter-ministerial mission responsible for alerting France about "deviant religions" and the About-Picard Act [2001 anti-sect law].
"I shared my findings about Indian spiritual teachers with the chief secretary general of the ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking him to bring this matter to the attention of Sri Modiji (Prime Minister) and Ms. Swarajji (Minister of External Affairs). I also disseminated my information to eminent teachers living in India and who have a wide presence in France, such as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Amma. I have contacted the Dalai Lama, well known and respected in France and sent him a list of Buddhist institutes regarded as a "sectarian risk" by the Miviludes. "
During this period, the investigating judge met him only once, on January 15, 2015. And on January 26, he was out of prison.
In March, the examining magistrate questioned all the clients of Ms. Cécile Tousignant. They all declared that they had no problem with Neelam Makhija. Most said they did not know him and all said they did not give him money.
However, when his lawyer, François St-Pierre (Lyon), repeatedly asked the judge for her permission for his client to leave France to take care of his business in Canada and visit his family in India, with the intention of returning in six weeks, the judge refused.
The lawyer appealed the judge's decision. Three months later, the Court of Appeal dismissed the claim, arguing that there were pending criminal charges.
© J-L M-LCécile Tousignant
Meanwhile, by the end of November 2015, one year after the arrest, all investigations had been completed, except a new hearing with Cécile Tousignant which was scheduled for December 2015, but did not take place until March 2016, which postponed the closure of the investigation until November 2016.
Detained Two And a Half Years Against His Will And Without Trial
Neelam Makhija: "So, I stayed in France nearly two and a half years after my arrest, without trial and without any opportunity to defend myself in court! exclaimed Mr. Makhija. I would have had that right in any English-speaking country! Apparently, in France, there is no magna carta or habeas corpus and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty does not exist! ".
When the investigation finally came to an end, the prosecutor presented his conclusions to the judge. Big surprise: he said that the 29 alleged victims of "mental manipulation" were no longer victims because they have not filed a complaint. The prosecutor then asked the judge to drop the mental manipulation charges and all money laundering charges.
Instead, in the final report, the investigating judge increased the number of victims to 41 and retained the money laundering charge against Mr. Makhija, saying that even though he had not taken any money, he had the "potential" to receive Ms. Cecile's money. So, Mr. Makhija was sent to trial and the other two French participants were released, even though they had more participation in Ms. Cecile's work than Mr. Makhija.
"Real False" Victims
Mr. Makhija has the support of Dr Susan Palmer, a professor of New Religious Movements at Concordia University and Dawson College in Montreal, Quebec. She wrote to him in these terms: "It is absolutely scandalous! Investigating the case of Arnaud Mussy (the first application of the About-Picard law), I witnessed similar things. The "victims" had insisted on they were not victims. The Unadfi [anti-sect association] had nevertheless filed a complaint on their behalf, against their will or without their knowledge. The judge stated that the failure to realize that they had been brain-washed was the proof that they had been brain-washed! Looks like your investigating judge is distracted and does not bother doing her job. It's like being in never ending Kafka story! "
His "Silent Presence" Was Enough to Manipulate Attendees
In December 2016, Neelam Makhija received a text in English from the investigating magistrate. It's the first communication in his language he obtained from the French judicial system. Finally, he could understand the content of the case. What he read in this text message stunned him. The investigating judge said: while Mr. Makhija does not speak French, his "silent presence" [Editor's comment: LOL] was enough to "manipulate" the "weak-minded people". She also alleged that the accused created a "mysterious atmosphere" to weaken the participants under the cover of Indian philosophy. But all he did was turn off the lights, use candles, incense sticks and play the music given by the participants!
© J-L M-L
The general hypothesis is that the charge of "mental manipulation" by the investigating judge was so weak that if Mr. Makhija had been allowed to leave France, the complaint against Cécile Tousignant would also be dismissed. All the efforts of the French fanatics in Miviludes would have been for nothing, making them appear ridiculous in the eyes of the French bureaucratic hierarchy.
The Prosecutor Dismisses The Charges
Finally, the trial took place on June 2, 2017, 30 months after the farce began. The prosecutor declared that he was abandoning the charge of "mental manipulation in a state of weakness" because he had no evidence to support the accusations. He admitted to the trial judge that in this case, the investigating judge was "a little enthusiastic" and that she took an inordinate amount of time to process the investigation. He also abandoned the money laundering charges for he had no proof that Mr. Makhija received funds from Mrs. Tousignant.
The judges, eager to move on from this embarrassing affair, concluded quickly. After deliberating for less than an hour, Mr Makhija was given a symbolic fine for giving some advice by telephone to Cécile Tousignant [3], that who was worried about the suspicions of a against her.
All That For This!
Neelam Makhija: "Anyway, everything that happened here in France deprived me of years of my life (November 28, 2014 - June 2, 2017 and several months until all was settled). These are days I cannot afford to lose at my age! The story was manufactured by the Caimades (gendarmerie specialized in "mental influence") and the Miviludes, with the complicity of the investigating judge and the psychiatrist working in league with the Miviludes.
They imagined that I was a great Indian guru, from the Osho movement, that manipulated and exploited people like Cecile, who was then herself manipulated by people like me,or so the story goes. They spent two years investigating and looking for evidence to justify their fantasy. Finally, having found nothing, they cobbled together bits of information out of context to try to justify their conclusions."
"It Was The Gendarmes Who Manipulated Us"
"They gave the court an analysis of me done by a state paid psychiatrist, a Dr. Danet, and the opinion of an independent psychologist who had been invited to meet me at the request my defense lawyers. The lawyer highlighted the subjective nature of these assessments, pointing out to the judge that they were totally contradictory, as if they had met two different people rather than the same Mr. Makhiija. (This same Dr Danet had also carried out an assessment of Ms. Tousignant and all of her clients who he claimed were "manipulated & weak minded").
"In court, five of Ms. Tousignant's trainees suggested to the judges that it was not her, but the gendarmes of the Caimades who tried to manipulate them, telling them lies about her."
"In its total ignorance, Miviludes and its allies denigrate Indian culture and spirituality. A culture with an uninterrupted wisdom of 15,000 years! "I hope that the political powers in place will look closely at the way in which the image of France on the world stage is being sullied as a result of French government support for outfits like Miviludes"
The two months he spent in prison his two-and-a-half-year ban on leaving French territory brutally cut Mr. Makhija off from his family and work life. Before this ordeal he has been conducting business in Canada and India, but the treatment by French authorities caused him serious economic loss, not to mention the legal fees and various other expenses occasioned by these events. In total, Mr. Makhija calculates that the amount of the damage exceeds €600,000
This is quite aside from the non-financial consequences: years of life lost in old age; violation of confidentiality of communications; undermining of his self-esteem and loss of credibility with his family (following these accusations, his children and grandchildren were deeply shocked and disturbed) and his professional associates.
The Indo-Canadian seeks to obtain compensation in these two ways:
- Compensation for "abuse of criminal power" by Miviludes and the French State for moral damage and serious emotional trauma and anguish caused.
- The public denouncing if the "racketeering" of the Miviludes whereby they use law enforcement in a malicious way to harass and cause harm, even before due process, to persons whom it considers suspect because of its subjective criteria of blacklisting ideas and wisdom from other cultures.
At first, Mr. Makhija's lawyer, Francois St Pierre, had considered pursuing compensation for his client. More recently however, he told Mr. Makhija, "I understand your anger but we cannot do anything about that which concerns the Miviludes" ...
All these sufferings, all these prejudices, all these public expenses: all this, for nothing!
Unfortunately, it is to be feared that the authors of this kind of abuse, who officially work at the very heart of French institutions, will not be too worried or prevented from continuing to do harm.
When will France come out of its anti-spiritual racism? Who will denounce this arbitrary machinery set up by the government, with its specialized police against what they call "different" approaches (Caimades), its organizations responsible for spreading unfounded rumors and scaring the French public (the Miviludes) and its state-sponsored witch-hunt incitement associations (CCMM)?
Notes:
[1] Like the majority of meditation techniques taught and practiced in the West today.
[2] Osho, Indian mystic, died in January 1990.. He is one of the many Indian spiritual figures who inspired Neelam Makhija and Cécile Aashti. "Osho had developed several meditation techniques throughout his life. "His techniques are available to everyone on the internet and in books around the world in more than 30 languages," says Neelam. The fact that I use his techniques for myself, has nothing to do with belonging to a movement. In Indian culture, this term 'movement' makes no sense. "
[3] The accusation of mental manipulation was also abandoned, for Cécile Tousignant, whose bank account was seized under the pretext of "unauthorized work".
This entry was posted in Anti-sectarianism , Society by Jean-Luc Martin-Lagardette , and tagged About-Picard , CCMM , Makhija , Miviludes , Osho .
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