Meet the Ex-Cop Who Has Shiva on Speed Dial

Satish Kumar, 61, believes he knows when he will die—at age 80. He claims to help people fight medical problems, fix their love lives, and careers. But Kumar isn’t just your regular godman. He retired in 2017 as the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) for Delhi’s Central District, and now works as a consultant to the New Delhi Municipal Corporation where he deals with internal grievances. Kumar told VICE he derives his powers from Chunkat Rishi, a saint and Shiva bhakt, who fought and triumphed over a Jat ruler, Chakwa Ben. He claims to have thousands of followers, including Indian Administrative Service officers, district magistrates, and businessmen. His durbar is at Kheri Gujjar village, Haryana, but we met him at his office in Delhi. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

VICE: How did Chunkat Rishi’s powers transfer to you?
Satish Kumar: In 1986, I was working in security at Indira Gandhi International Airport, travelling from my village to Delhi. I was stressed.

I’d heard stories about Chunkat Rishi from my relatives and the Satkumbha pond, where the saint did penance, was near my village. Once, I wasn’t able to sleep, so at 2 AM, I took my scooter to a cave and began meditating. I felt so good that I began doing it every night. One night, a snake slithered over my body. I didn’t feel any fear. It sat at my head, as if it were giving me its blessing. The following night, I dreamed that a a kid wearing a lal langot was laughing at me hysterically. I told the village holy men, who said Chunkat Rishi had come to me in his baal-roop [childlike avatar].

The next time I went to the caves, I felt an energy which lifted me up to Kailash Parvat, where I met Lord Shiva himself. He called Chunkat Rishiji, put my hand in his hand and told him, “Now he is yours.”

Didn’t you think that all of it might be just a dream?
When I opened my eyes, Shiva was right in front of me. He said: “Satish, don’t think it was a dream. Now you are seeing me with your open eyes.”

What was the high-point of your career as a cop?
In 1993, I was working with the anti-terror cell of the Delhi Police, tasked with following a Khalistani militant Mohinder Singh “Pappi”. A secret source told me that he had a hideout in Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar. I worked undercover as a driver for two months in the area, dressed in a dirty kurta, carrying an angocha, wearing old slippers, and smoking beedis.

Were you able to nail him?
I got to know he was coming to Jahangirpuri one night and followed his group on a bike, but had to discard the bike and borrow a scooter. At a police chowki, I asked an old policemen to come with me, but he refused.

The second time, I got a tip that he’d be coming to Azadpur. We set up a trap. I was dressed as a pandit, with a bucket in hand. Pappi never turned up. He was later captured and killed by the police in Jammu.

Tell me about your followers?
I go to my village on the last Sunday of every month. There are some permanent bhakts, but most come only when there is a problem. I love discipline and treat every devotee equally. People try to advance through connections, or excuses like “we’re getting late for our train,” but I never let them break sequence.

Have you ever punished someone ?
I don’t want to. But Guruji gives them punishment nevertheless. If someone harms me very much, Guruji sometimes even is ready to kill that person. But I touch his feet and request him to pardon the offender.

Have you used your powers for your own benefit?
In 1991, my father was very ill. Guruji told me my father’s time is over. The doctors said his big intestine was rotten. I asked Guruji whether I could donate part of my life. “You can donate 20 years of your life from your total of 100,” he told me. My father recovered and lived 20 more years.

I know that I am in this material world till 2037. I have no desires left, but I have to complete my time on earth.

Have you told people at work?
My officemates know. I haven’t told my neighbours in Delhi, because it would become a daily nuisance. I don’t want my everyday life to be disturbed. Even godmen have personal lives.

I’m often late to work because of traffic. Can you use your powers to make all the lights green for me?
If you are getting late to the office, it’s your own fault. If you have been given a duty, you have to fulfil that duty rightly. If you are a habitual offender, why should I help you? The help will only be given those who have right intentions. If someone asks me to help in something wrong, I might even punish him.

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