India
Helplines and routes for India, where high-control religious organisations span a particularly wide spectrum and several have been the subject of significant criminal proceedings.
India has produced several of the most-documented guru-led high-control organisations in the dataset (Dera Sacha Sauda / Gurmeet Ram Rahim; Asaram Bapu; Nithyananda; Rampal Satlok Ashram; among others). Court proceedings against named gurus have produced substantial public-record material and convictions.
National helpline provision varies by state and language. The federal helplines below are the most reliable; many state-level supports exist in regional languages.
If you are in immediate danger
- Emergency services· 24/7112Unified emergency number (police, ambulance, fire).
What situation are you in?
If you are worried about someone in a high-control group
Sustain low-pressure contact. Learn the specific group. Avoid confrontation. Position yourself as a soft landing. The /guides/what-to-do-if-loved-one-joined-a-cult guide covers the long version. Loved-one guide →
If you are inside a high-control group
Talk to a single trusted person outside the group. Open a group-invisible communication channel. Begin mapping financial, housing, and employment dependencies. The leaving guide has the longer version. Leaving guide →
If you recently left
Give yourself a long enough horizon for recovery. Religious-trauma-aware therapy materially helps. Build ordinary relationships outside the tradition. Rebuild-identity guide →
If children are involved
Children's situations are not adult-exit-planning. Statutory child-safeguarding helplines and family-law specialists are the appropriate route. Children guide →
If money, documents, or housing are controlled
Document control overlaps with trafficking and domestic-abuse frameworks. The specialist helplines listed on this page are the right first call. Document-control guide →
Domestic abuse and coercive control
- Women Helpline (181)· 24/7181National women's helpline. State-level integration varies; will route to the appropriate authority.
Child safeguarding
- Childline India· 24/71098 Website24/7 national helpline for children in distress. Multi-state coverage.
Mental-health crisis
Public English-language information on India-specific cult-recovery resources is limited. Several survivor and journalist networks operate informally (notably around Dera and Sai Baba-related cases). The international networks (ICSA, Freedom of Mind) sometimes have India-based members. For specific named-guru cases, legal proceedings often have associated victim-support contact channels.
Printable quick-reference checklist
- If immediate danger: 112.
- Women in distress: 181.
- Children at risk: Childline 1098.
- Mental-health crisis: iCall +91 9152987821 or Vandrevala 1860 2662 345.
- Cult-specific support: international networks; for named-guru cases, legal proceedings often have victim-support channels.
This page is educational and not legal, medical, or clinical advice. CLCI Hub does not endorse or vouch for any specific service. See the Legal Disclaimer for the full statement. Found a helpline that has changed? Submit a correction.