Religious Leader Having His Feet Kissed: Video Causes Stir in India (Video)

Another unusual incident involving religious leaders in India has sparked intense debate on social media. Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj, a local religious leader, is using a mobile, air-conditioned, glass-enclosed capsule to meet his "followers."

The viral footage shows the religious leader sitting in a comfortable chair inside a fully climate-controlled transparent room, while people stand in long queues to touch and bow to his feet.

How is the "ritual" inside the capsule conducted?

As seen in the video and photos, the process is organized with specific technical conveniences:

• Special transparent structure: The religious leader is seated in a soft armchair inside a special glass cabin equipped with modern lighting and air conditioning, protected from dust and heat;

• Separate area for feet: Devotees approach the feet left exposed or extended from the bottom of the cabin one by one to bow, touch, and kiss them;

• Crowd queue: Hundreds of men and young children gathered in a large hangar or open pavilion formed a long line to touch the feet of the leader behind the glass.

Reactions on social media

The video was met with mixed reactions from social media users and public activists upon its release:

• Criticism and astonishment: Many severely criticized the situation as a bizarre combination of human dignity, religious naivety, and technological convenience;

• Sanitation and safety debate: While some commentators viewed this as a way for the leader to protect himself from the crowd and heat in the hot climate, others labeled it a modern form of blatant personality cult.