Table of Contents
Who is Asaram ‘Bapu’?
- Asaram ‘Bapu’, is a self-styled godman who has(d?) thousands of followers across the country • He is charged in multiple rape cases.
- He is currently lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail
- On 25 April 2018 , a judge pronounced him guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment in one of the rape cases against him, that of a 16-year-old girl from Shahjahanpur (U.P.) five years ago
Rags to Riches story
- Asaram was born in April, 1941 at the Berani village, now in Pakistan and was named Asumal Sirumalani.
- After Partition his family came to Gujarat from Pakistan’s Sind
- He took care of his father’s coal and wood business after the latter’s death • Escaped from home at age 15 – to an ashram – introduction to spirituality
- Opened his first ashram in 1972 at Motera (near Ahmedabad)
- Many ashrams subsequently
- 50 Gurukuls (schools)
- 400 ashrams in 12 countries
- number of ‘Gaushalas’
- A printing press
- FMCG businesses for products such as soap, shampoo
- Ayurvedic medicines business • By 2013, his empire was worth Rs 10,000 crore (excluding the value of all ashram land)
What did he preach?
- Asaram’s brand of Hinduism is an amalgamation between a simplified reading of Hindu scriptures along with Tantric practices, which appears to have included some elements of black magic as well.
- Cut out to suit the needs of the disempowered sections of the Indian population.
- Highly popular among the tribals and the Hindi-speaking population of north India.
Murky Past
- In 2008, mutilated bodies of two children were recovered from the banks of the Sabarmati river, close to his ashram in Motera (total 4 boys missing)
- It was found that some vital organs from the bodies were missing.(Tantric activities suspected) • Suspected black magic and human sacrifice
- Suspicious deaths of at least two ashram employees
- Rumours of widespread sexual exploitation of female devotees,
- 12+ cases of land encroachment across states
- Pervasive financial irregularity.
Political Patronage across parties
RAPE CASES
- In August 2013, a case was registered by the Delhi Police stating that Asaram had allegedly raped a 16-year-old girl from UP, at his ashram in Jodhpur(Rajasthan).
- Reportedly, she was brought to Asaram on the pretext of curing her “evil spirits”
- He was taken into custody in Indore(MP) on August 31, 2013.
- A few months later, 2 sisters from Surat too filed Rape and illegal confinement charges against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai. Charges were framed under
- sections 342 (for wrongful confinement)
- 354A (sexual harassment) • 370(4) (trafficking)
- 376 (rape)
- 506 (criminal intimidation)
- 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy)
- Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) act
Impeding Justice
- Attacks in four states against 9 witnesses in criminal cases against the godman, leading to the death of three, of which one was a former personal aide of the guru and another his former cook
- Threats and intimidation of complainants, witnesses and their families, apart from judges and investigating officers in multiple states.
- In February 2015,a witness in the case was stabbed outside the Jodhpur court moments after giving his statement.
- The attacker, Satyanarain,was later identified as an aide of Asaram.
- The husband of one of the surat sisters (accuser) was stabbed in 2014
- Asaram has remained in jail since 2013
- His bail pleas having been rejected six times, despite having been represented by two of the most prominent lawyer-politicians in the country, Subramanian Swamy and Ram Jethmalani
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The Verdict
- 25 April 2018 – A special court awarded life imprisonment till death to Asaram in the Jodhpur case.
- Sharatchandra, director of a residential school in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, where the victim was studying, and Shilpi, warden of her hostel, were also convicted for criminal conspiracy and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
- Rs 5 lakh fine imposed
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By Dr. Mahipal Singh Rathore
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