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The religious movement was founded by Lekhraj Khubchand Kirpilani in Hyderabad, Sindh (Modern-day Pakistan) The founder and those that joined believed themselves to have had spiritual experiences. Many of the members consisted of women and children from the Bhaibund caste.
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Three years after its founding, Om Radhe was elected as the president of the movement with a committee made up of only women. This movement was big on giving special roles to women and ignoring the rules of the caste system.
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The Anti-Om Mandali Committee, a group made up of many men from the Bhaibund caste, was formed to protest against the Om Mandali movement. They picketed a meeting to stop the members of the movement from entering, this protest led to many arrests and cases of domestic violence.
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After the protest done by the Anti-Om Mandali committee, lots of legal action was taken. Many criminal proceedings were taken against both groups which led to the Direct Magistrate preventing the Om Mandali from meeting to deal with the issue.
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The ban against the Om Mandali meeting was letter reversed a couple of months later after an appeal was made to the Court of the Judicial Commissioner of Sindh.
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In March 1939, the government had a tribunal make an inquiry into Om Mandali. The president of the organization decided that the inquiry was incomplete and did not have a constitutional basis. In response to them, she published a book called "Is This Justice?" to criticize their findings.
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After the inquiry done by the tribunal, the government banned Om Mandali from meeting again due to "unlawful association". Nevertheless, they continued with their meetings as the ban was never truly enforced.
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The Brahma Kumaris, formerly known as the Om Mandali, moved their location to Mount Abu in Rajasthan, India. The movement then structured itself more to offer a public seven course lesson to those interested.
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Their new start after their new name and move was underwhelming and almost failed due to a lack of funding. But eventually, things started to get better and they started working on international expansion starting in the mid-1950s.
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In the 1970s, the movement spread into London and started fully spreading throughout the West. More visible manifestations of the movement started popping up in the form of spiritual museums.
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In 1980, the Brahma Kumaris officially became registered with the United Nations. They were registered as a Non-Governmental Organization with the Department of Public Relations.
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Their status with the United Nations grew and three years later, they achieved consultative status with the Economic and Social Council at the United Nations.
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As of now, the number of followers has increased tenfold since the 90s. Though it should be noted that most followers aren't completely committed to the group's worldview. Most of the centers now are located in the homes of followers and most are run by women.