Ananda Marga (P.R. Sarkar)
Tantric reform movement founded by P.R. Sarkar (1955). Documented violent incidents in 1970s–80s, including arrests connected to the 1978 Sydney Hilton bombing.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
+1 for documented violent incidents in 1970s–80s including 1978 Sydney Hilton bombing arrest.
Profile facts
In context
Ananda Marga combines Sarkar's neohumanist philosophy with Tantric Yoga practice. The 1970s–80s saw violent incidents and arrests linked to Indian internal politics and the 1978 Sydney Hilton bombing (subsequent acquittals). Mainstream Ananda Marga continues globally with substantial humanitarian programmes.
Recovery resources
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements) — LSE-founded UK research-based information service covering new religious movements.
- Sarlo's Guru Rating Service — Long-standing publicly-maintained guru-assessment site including critical material.
- Reclamation Collective — Religious-trauma-aware therapist network; relevant for post-exit identity-rebuilding.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Legal cases & controversies
- 1978 Sydney Hilton bombing arrests
This profile is in progress — history, deeper BITE evidence and survivor voices are still being added. Contributions welcome via GitHub.
Timeline
- 1955Founded by P.R. Sarkar
- 1978Sydney Hilton bombing; AM members arrested then acquitted
Sources
- Various Indian and Australian press coverage search ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Eastern guru-led.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
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Found something wrong on this profile?
We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.