On August 20, 2013, in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, I. P. S.
Ajay Lamba, the local Deputy Commissioner of Police, was in his cabin. It was lunchtime, when his personal assistant told him that a Star News reporter from Delhi was waiting for him on the phone. Ajay Lamba picked up the phone and the reporter told him something that shocked him.
"Good evening, sir. " "I want to talk about the F. I.
R. filed in Jodhpur for Asaram Bapu. " "Yes, tell me.
" "The F. I. R.
alleges that Asaram Bapu sexually assaulted a minor girl. " Ajay Lamba knows how big and powerful Asaram Bapu is. Many politicians bow their heads in front of him.
But he has no idea that an F. I. R.
has filed against him for a r*pe case. He tells the reporter that he doesn't know anything about it. He hangs up.
Then he checks his phone and sees a missed call. Whose missed call? Central Delhi's DCP.
Ajay Lamba calls the DCP and the DCP confirms the shocking news. A few hours ago, a 16-year-old girl reported that on the night of 15 August 2013, Asaram Bapu sexually assaulted her. A man with millions of followers and politicians bowing their heads in front of him, how can he do such a despicable thing?
Let's learn the crazy story of Asaram Bapu. Near the Sindh River, in the Berani village, which is currently located in Pakistan, in April 1941, a boy is born. Asumal Sirumalani.
This rich family is of Baniya caste in the Sindhi community. Asumal's mother has been teaching her son about religion since childhood. She makes him sit in front of Lord Krishna and tells him, son, you have to worship the lord and if you do it right, he will give you his blessings.
Asumal obeys all her words. Every morning, he gets up early and worships Thakurji. Six years later, the lives of millions of people, including this family, are about to be changed.
Due to the partition, Asumal's family has to leave their property in Pakistan and move to Ahmedabad, India. This family, which was very rich in Pakistan, is now living a poor life in Ahmedabad. After some time, Asumal's father starts a wood business and then spices.
As a result, the financial situation of the family improves. At the age of 7, Asumal goes to Jai Hind School in Ahmedabad for his primary education. His official biography states that his memory is so sharp that he can recite any poem, song, or lesson exactly to the teacher.
As soon as Asumal reaches the 3rd grade, another tragedy happens in the family. At the age of 10, Asumal's father dies. After his father's death, Asumal has to leave school to support his family.
There are two versions of this story. The first version states that Asumal goes to Ajmer and he drives a cart from the railway station to the Dargah of Ajmer Sharif. The second version of his biography states that Asumal works in his relative's shop in Gujarat's Siddhapur.
And because of his hard work and dedication, he earns his employer's trust. Despite working in the shop, he is very committed to religion. Because of this commitment, many people come to him for his blessings.
As he grows older, his family starts planning his wedding. But Asumal says that he wants to follow the path of a saint and doesn't want to marry. He runs away from his home 8 days before his wedding.
His family searches for him everywhere. And eventually, they find him in an ashram in Bharuch, Gujarat. The entire family begs him that his engagement has been fixed.
If they cancel it, what would happen to their respect? At least think about us. Asumal agrees to marry Lakshmi Devi.
Many events that take place in the next few years are not mentioned in Asaram Bapu's biography They are mentioned in this book. Asumal has a small job. In 1959, a murder case was filed against Asumal.
But because there is no evidence against him, nothing happens in this case. But you won't find all these things in his biography. The biography says that Asumal only focuses on one thing, spirituality.
Despite his marriage, Asumal wants to become an ascetic. On 23rd February 1964, 23-year-old Asumal leaves his home and leaves his wife behind. He wanders from one place to another and eventually reaches Kedarnath, where many sages teach and bless him.
Then he goes to Vrindavan, and after Vrindavan, to Nainital. There, he meets Leelashahji Maharaj, who is a renowned saint in our country. Maharaj takes in Asumal as his disciple and shows him the path of spirituality.
Maharaj tells Asumal to go home and meditate. So Asumal returns to Ahmedabad and at the banks of the Narmada river, there is a small village called Moti Koral. From there, he begins his meditation.
His biography says that he experiences mystical happenings here. For 40 days, he meditates so much that he goes deeper into the mystical path. A few days later, his mother and wife come to take him home.
Asumal agrees to go home and boards a train to Ahmedabad with his mother and wife. But as soon as the train starts moving, he jumps out of the train and lands on another train, which is headed in the opposite direction to Mumbai. Forget about Asumal's life, let's talk about your life for the next 1 minute.
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75 km away from Mumbai, he goes to Prajeshwari Mandir where his guru, Leelashahji Maharaj, meditates. He meditates here and attains Self-Realization. After this Maharajji changes his name to Sant Sri Asaramji Maharaj.
Asaram finally decides to go to his mother in Ahmedabad. But Basant Rawat, a journalist in Ahmedabad, says that Asaram left the temple because Leelashahji threw him out of his ashram. There are two versions of this story.
But we do know that on 8th July 1971, Asaram reaches Ahmedabad. And there, he builds a Moksha Kutir in a small hut where he teaches the people around him as well as Ayurvedic medicine. From here, Asaram sets up his base and teaches people about religion.
So Asaram's mission, which was set up in a small hut in Ahmedabad's Motera area, continues to grow. There are three reasons for this. First, Asaram's ashram gives free food and other facilities to people who come to listen to his teachings.
Also, Asaram doesn't discriminate against his followers based on caste and community. That's why he becomes especially popular among the backward people of Gujarat. And lastly, Achyut Yagnik, a social scientist in Ahmedabad, says that at this time, the middle-class of Gujarat was awakening to religion.
At the time, the Bharatiya Janata Party was becoming popular in Gujarat. Along with them, the RSS is talking about a unified Hindu identity. Along with this, the Ram Janmbhoomi movement is also growing.
And all these things benefit Asaram Bapu. Over the next few years, Asaram Bapu opens at least 400 ashrams in India and outside India. His popularity is so high that politicians of every party want his blessings.
Many of these ashrams have a gurukul where children attend school. The Gujarat government also supports Asaram's empire. During the Congress rule, in 1981 and 1992, the government gave him 14,000 sqm of land.
In 1993, Asaram Bapu represented India at the Parliament of World Religions. Asaram Bapu now thinks that he is the king of the world. He's got fame, money and the country's biggest politicians are also bowing their heads to him.
Then something shocking happens. In 1997, a 20-year-old girl filed a case of sexual assault against Asaram Bapu. You'll only find this news only in a local newspaper in Gujarat.
We don't know what happened after that. But we do know that Asaram Bapu's hold on politicians is very strong. For example, to win by-election, Narendra Modi also attends Asaram's programs.
But Narendra Modi is not the only politician. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Congress leader Digvijay Singh also attend Asaram's programs, which shows how much he holds on to power. But his downfall starts in 2008.
In 2008, a 9-year-old boy comes to Asaram's Motera Ashram in Ahmedabad with his father. There, he meets a volunteer, who advices his father to get his son admitted to his Gurukul. He decides that it's a good thing.
He doesn't just get his son admitted, but also his brother's son. That month, both the brothers go to meet their sons several times to see if everything is going well. On July 3, 2008, both the brothers go back to meet their sons.
They meet and return home at 2. 30 pm. But at 9 pm, they receive a call from Asharam's administration, asking if the boys have returned home.
They say, no, the boys are not at home. Why are you calling? The Asharam's administration says, because the boys are not in the ashram.
The boys are missing. The next day, both the brothers immediately go to the police station to file a complaint. As soon as they reach the police station, they see two Asharam officials at the police station.
These two officials talk to the police and then come out. After they come out, both the brothers get permission to enter the police station. Both the brothers ask the police to file a complaint.
But the police gets angry at them and refuses to file a complaint. Asaram sends a message to both the brothers, saying, cross the road, pick up seven bricks and keep them in warm water with your children's clothes. Then take these clothes, turn them inside out, and hang them in the children's room to dry.
Asaram promises them that the children will return in 4 hours. Then what happens? They wait.
But nothing happens. At 9 o'clock at night, both the brothers finally file a police complaint. The next day, Ashram gets news that there are two bodies in the nearby river.
These dead bodies belong to those two boys. The Indian Express report says that there is no external injury to their bodies. But this book says that both the bodies are in a very bad condition.
There are horrific details that I can't even share with you. Initially, the police doesn't do anything. But eventually, they arrest a 14-year-old boy.
They say that the boy was fed up with the rules of the Gurukul. He wanted to close the Gurukul. That's why he committed this murder.
The children's family refuses to accept this. They demand a CBI investigation. In August 2008, Chief Minister Narendra Modi creates a commission for this investigation.
Five years later, the commission submits a report. The details of which are made public in 2019. This report doesn't blame Asaram's ashram and gives him a clean chit.
But the empire of Asharam Bapu's crores gets shaken when IPS Lamba receives a call. "Good evening sir. " "I want to talk regarding the FIR in Jodhpur about Asaram Bapu.
" "Yes, tell me. " "The FIR alleges that Asaram Bapu sexually assaulted a minor girl. " The DCP says that the FIR has been registered under several sections of the IPC.
And there's even a POCSO Act. It's a law that protects children from sexual abuse. He says that this incident took place in a village near Jodhpur, in Manai.
The DCP tells Ajay that since this incident took place in Jodhpur, the Jodhpur police will have to investigate this. And the victim and her family will come to you in Jodhpur. When Ajay Lamba reads the details of the case, he finds out that this incident took place in a small hut in a village, which is near a large farmhouse owned by Asaram Bapu.
Ajay Lamba says that when he heard the word hut, he thought it was a small hut. Especially because Asharam Bapu has renounced the life of luxury. Because he's a saint.
But when he visited the place, he found out that it's not a small hut. It's a two-bedroom bungalow made of expensive white marble. There's a large kitchen, a modern bathroom, a split AC, and a double bed with an expensive mattress.
When he reaches the police station, the victim and her parents are present. And he starts recording the victim's statement. The 16-year-old girl says that she's from Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
Her father has a transport business. And for many years, she's been a devotee of Asaram Bapu. Her father even took a loan to build an ashram in Asaram Bapu's name.
The girl and her younger brother go to Asaram's gurukul to study. It's a residential school. And in August, the girl fell ill.
So she told her hostel warden about it. The warden, named Shilpi, tells her to rest for now. There's no need to go to the doctor.
But the next day, the girl is called to the gurukul office. And she's told that a spirit has entered her body. And only Bapu can cure her.
Her parents are called and told to take her to Bapu immediately. Two days later, the three of them come to Jodhpur. She says that she saw Bapu there, who was having a satsang with 150 people.
As soon as the satsang ends, he call the three of them to talk to him. He looks into the girl's eyes and say, I see a demon inside you. And I'm going to get rid of this demon.
Asaram Bapu tells the three of them to go and rest. He'll call them back later. It's 10 o'clock at night.
The girl and her family are called. Asaram Bapu asks the girl, what do you want to be when you grow up? The girl says, I want to be a CA.
Asaram Bapu says, what will you do as a CA? All CA bow down to me. The next day at 10 o'clock, Bapu calls the three of them to his hut.
He tells the parents to go to the main gate of the hut and chant mantras there. By then, I'll cure your daughter. Asaram Bapu is lying on the bed.
He tells his cook to get milk for him and bring the girl to his room. As soon as the girl enters the room, she sees that the lights are off. Asaram Bapu is lying on the bed and tells the girl to sit next to him.
The girl starts shivering. Seeing this, Asaram Bapu tells the girl, I'll chant some mantras to get rid of the evil within you. The girl tells the police in her statement, I've never been alone with a man in my life.
But at that moment, I told myself, he's my guru, god, messiah. Then Asaram Bapu forces the girl to perform o**l s*x. What does he say?
Go out and don't say anything to anyone. If you say anything, I'll kill your brother and your family. The girl then puts on her clothes and goes out of the hut without saying anything.
The next day, the whole family goes home. But the girl doesn't have the courage to tell anyone what happened. But after a day or two, the girl tells her mom about it.
Her parents are in shock. They say they'll go to Asaram Bapu immediately. But Asaram Bapu is in Delhi.
So, will they leave Rajasthan immediately and go to Delhi? As soon as they reach the ashram, Asaram Bapu's staff doesn't let them in. So the whole family decides to file a police complaint.
The police station in Kamla Market is nearby. They go there that night and file a complaint of r**e The girl is then taken for a medical examination. A female officer tells IPS Ajay Lamba, that she's been r**ed.
"Delhi Police is on its way to Jodhpur now to probe charges against Asaram, the self-styled godman, in fact has been accused of. . .
. " As soon as the FIR is made public, Asaram Bapu's followers create a ruckus. On 24th August, thousands of people start a protest in Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
Asaram Bapu's son even says that the victim is mentally unstable. He tells his supporters in Rajkot that she took 2. 5 hours to bathe and 45 minutes to take a break.
She's mentally unstable. To solve this problem, the girl's parents brought her to Bapu. But Jodhpur police ignores all this and starts collecting evidence against Asaram Bapu.
Drssed in civilian clothes, they prepare different teams and send them to Asaram Bapu's area. And what they found will give you goosebumps. According to the investigation, even after filing an FIR, Asaram Bapu travels to different parts of the country, goes to ashrams, and meets his followers.
IPS Arjay Lamba says that his actions showed that he wasn't afraid of anything. A team of two officers, dressed in civilian clothes, arrives at the Gurukul where the victim studied. They find out that Asaram was a sex addict.
Every night, he'd ask for a new, mature girl. His ashram management team was also involved. The Gurukul warden was Shilpi.
Shilpi and Prakash, Asaram's cook, would look for young and attractive girls for Asaram. The police also find out that there are many girls in Asaram's gurukul, who leave the gurukul just before the board exams. When the police try to find them and meet their families, they find out that the girls' families don't want to talk to them.
In the investigation it was found that Asaram brainwashed the girls that he was God for them and chose them specially. Then they are told that they're sick. And only one person can cure them.
Asaram Bapu. Many of the girls come from poor families. They're either paid to keep quiet or threatened.
Because of this threat, many parents don't file a legal complaint. After collecting all this evidence, Jodhpur police send a notice to Asaram that he has to come to the police station for an investigation by 29th August. The date passes, but Asaram doesn't come to the police station.
After that, Jodhpur police form a plan to arrest Asaram. This is going to be a very complex operation because Asaram is surrounded by thousands of followers who believe him to be God. That's why a team of 5 top officers is formed and sent to Indore's Ashram where Asaram resides.
This team has 10 commandos with weapons. But by the time Jodhpur and Indore police reach Indore, Asaram disappears. After that, all the police teams are alerted in major cities but none of them find Asaram.
On 31st August, Jodhpur police hold a press conference where they announce that Asaram has escaped and he has to be arrested. As soon as the press conference ends, they get a call from Bhopal airport saying that Asaram is at Bhopal airport. "Asaram's photo was taken on Friday evening at 6 pm.
" "He was seen at Bhopal airport for the second time. " "He got out of the car and entered the airport quickly. " Asaram tries to escape from Bhopal airport to his Ashram in Indore.
But he doesn't know that many police officers wearing civilian clothes are already present at his Ashram in Indore. One officer sees that Asaram doesn't care at all. "Asaram ji, it's a very difficult time.
" "Lookout notice has been issued. " "Summons have also been issued to Jodhpur police. " "It's a very difficult situation.
" "There have been even bigger allegations for 4. 5 years. " "But they didn't stay put for long.
" "Do you also think that behind this, there's a political conspiracy? " "No, there's a political conspiracy. .
. and many other conspiracies. "And I don't like to mention the names of the conspirators.
" "In my opinion, everyone should be blessed. " Jodhpur police finally reaches the Ashram. And when they approach him, he says, Do you know who I am?
Do you know how many of my devotees are in this country? Do you know how many politicians bow down to me? He talks to the police for hours.
And finally Asaram says, I'll go to Jodhpur. But not now because it's too late. We'll go the next morning.
Why? Because he has a plan. Then he looks at his daughter.
And he thinks that nobody knows Sindhi in the police team. That's why he tells his son to gather as many followers as possible at night so that you can block all the exits to the Ashram. But this doesn't work because one officer in the police team knows Sindhi.
So, they decide to take Asaram to Jodhpur that very night. Then Asaram starts shouting, What are you doing? Narayan, stop them!
Devotees, look, they're taking your baba away! Stop them all! But the police team somehow manages to put Asaram in their car.
But the problem doesn't end there. As soon as they reach the main road, many followers start following them. Then they somehow reach the airport.
But they realize that there's no direct flight from Indore to Jodhpur. So they have to go from Indore to Delhi and then from Delhi to Jodhpur. But as soon as the team reaches Delhi from Indore and then takes a connecting flight from Delhi to Jodhpur, they realize this.
". . .
in which Asaram the tainted self-styled godman has been taken to Jodhpur. " "He is right now on the flight and whose supporters again as you see they are used to misbehaving with the media. " More than 50 followers of Asaram has booked the same flight from which the police are taking him to Jodhpur.
And as soon as the flight takes off, they start shouting in support of Asaram. An hour later, the police finally landed in Jodhpur with Asaram. But now the police have realized what the supporters of Asaram can do.
So they don't take him to the police station but to a guest house. There, Asaram is watched by two police officers for 24 hours, while a separate police force is stationed outside. Now that he's surrounded, Asaram becomes restless.
DCP Ajay Lamba asks him why he did this. Asaram says, he made a mistake. Then he gives the police all the information and whatever information he gave, matches all the details to the FIR that the victim had filed.
His medical examination is conducted to prove his potency. To see if he can be involved in sexual activity or not. And it's proven.
Then he's sent into custody. Even after his arrest, the police can't live in peace. Because they're threatened by supporters and politicians.
Ajay Lamba says, he's been called by politicians, bureaucrats, and senior police officers. Why? He says, first of all, they want to know the details of the case.
But later, they say, go easy on this case. The police team is also bribed. For example, the supporters of Asaram offer the police officer that they'll make him the owner of several properties and ashrams in Rajasthan, if he stops the investigation.
But as soon as they hear that the police will stand their ground, many people who worked in Asaram's team stand up against him. Like Amrut Prajapati, an Ayurvedic doctor who worked for Asaram for 15 years. He says, Asaram used to take dosage of insulin but he never questioned why.
But one day, when he went to Asaram for a health checkup, he found out why there was insulin in the bedroom. Insulin was being taken to build Asaram's physical stamina because he was so involved in sexual activity. Now, the Jodhpur police finally submit a 6,000-page charge sheet in the 2013 rape case.
The trial starts, but Asaram's lawyers argue that the girl is not a minor, but an adult. They want to gain two things from this. Asaram should not be charged with POCSO charges.
So that he's not given a life sentence. Once POCSO is dropped, it'll be easier for him to get bail. Asaram's followers go to a school run by a controversial baba, Chinmayanand, Asaram's supporter.
When the victim was young, she attended this school. Asaram's followers want to pressure the school principal to issue a fake certificate. And that's exactly what happens.
In February 2014, Asaram's lawyers use a document to prove that the girl is not a minor. But the court rejects this. Jodhpur police bring the victim's official 10th standard certificate to prove that she's a minor.
The case isn't over yet. Asaram's followers try their best to halt the case. For the next two years, seven witnesses are attacked, three of whom die, and one disappears.
For example, in February 2014, a videographer of Asaram is injured by several attackers. Acid is thrown at another witness. The police even get the news that a conspiracy was being hatched to plant a bomb in Jodhpur police's car.
Just imagine! Despite all this, the court and the police do their job and deliver the verdict. "The self-proclaimed godman has been given life imprisonment by a court in Rajasthan's Jodhpur.
" On April 25, 2018, Asaram Bapu was sentenced to life imprisonment for ra***g a 16-year-old girl. Five years later, he received another life imprisonment sentence for another rape case. This shows that if the government and the law want, a powerful and vile man can be taught a lesson.
Don't forget to check out my productivity show on the Seekho app. The first episode, which is on focus, is now live. The link is in the description.
See you there.
