(MENAFN- Asia Times) A day after "godman" Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of raping two female followers, yoga guru Baba Ramdev said that such cases cause religious figures great embarrassment, according to media reports.

Ramdev, who was in Indore for a private program on Tuesday, told PTI, 'It is true that we are facing embarrassment for such cases which have surfaced in the past two to three years. It is wrong to link the entire saint tradition with criminal activities if a person living in the guise of a saint or a religious leader commits a mistake or crime. There are still millions of saints in the country who are living a life full of honesty, purity and serving the common people. Lord Ram is the greatest symbol of Indian culture. If there is any taint on a person bearing the name Ram, it only sullies the character of that particular person. It should not be associated with entire religion, sect, tradition or culture.'

The case against the Dera Sacha Sauda leader attracted tremendous public interest when it began in 2002 and there were about 200 hearings before he was convicted on Friday.

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