The death or disappearance of a witness in a high-profile trial in India is not that out of the ordinary. The 2G spectrum scandal, for example, had a witness who allegedly killed himself, while in the Gujarat riots cases a witness was stabbed to death. But for three witnesses to be attacked, with two of them dying, in a high-profile case against a godman without a national outcry is something else altogether.
In under 12 months, there have been news reports of at least three attacks on witnesses deposing against Asaram Bapu, a godman accused in multiple cases of sexual assault. The most recent incident, on January 11, saw Akhil Gupta, a cook and personal aide of the godman, shot by what police describe as “unknown persons” outside his home in Muzaffarnagar. Gupta was declared brought dead at a hospital nearby.
Asaram, whose website calls him a “Spiritual Revolutionist” and the “Indweller of all hearts”, has been accused of a number of crimes, including encroaching on land, in addition to the sexual assault charges. The godman was first accused of having sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl at his Jodhpur ashram in 2013 and arrested on that charge. Later, two Surat-based sisters, accused both him and his son of having raped them.
Messages on the web
Both the godman and his son denied the charges, and insisted that the whole thing is a conspiracy against them. Their followers have flooded the internet with posts claiming that the “anti-Hindu” media and Christian missionaries, among other villains, are behind the plot to defame the godman.
In addition to the noise being made online, Asaram supporters have been accused of interfering with justice and trying to influence the case as well. In 2013, his supporters clashed with the police and journalists in Jodhpur in an attempt to prevent them from arresting the godman, who has since been behind bars.
Since then, there have also been allegations of pressure in the case. In March 2014, two men threw acid at one of the witnesses in the case who Surat police said had declined to take police protection. At the time, NDTV reported the cops as having said that the two other people in Surat who had also declined police protection had also been attacked.
Pressure on witnesses
Then, in June 2014. Amrut Prajapati, a former aide of the godman and an Ayurveda doctor, was shot in Rajkot. Prajapati, a key witness in the case who had been Asaram’s personal doctor for 15 years, died two weeks later. He had previously made allegations against the godman for allegedly being involved in the deaths of two teenage boys in the Ashram, and had taken to keeping a revolver with him after having been attacked a couple of times because he gave statements against Asaram.
In the trial too there have been allegations of intimidation. The father of the girl who the godman allegedly sexually assaulted in Jodhpur said that she had been getting phone calls with death threats from his supporters. Another witness was also reportedly asked to change her statement in court, giving impetus to the suggestion that all those in the prosecution’s case are being pushed to retract their testimony.
With the death of yet another witness, the question of whether the cases against the godman can go on fairly remains an open one.
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In under 12 months, there have been news reports of at least three attacks on witnesses deposing against Asaram Bapu, a godman accused in multiple cases of sexual assault. The most recent incident, on January 11, saw Akhil Gupta, a cook and personal aide of the godman, shot by what police describe as “unknown persons” outside his home in Muzaffarnagar. Gupta was declared brought dead at a hospital nearby.
Asaram, whose website calls him a “Spiritual Revolutionist” and the “Indweller of all hearts”, has been accused of a number of crimes, including encroaching on land, in addition to the sexual assault charges. The godman was first accused of having sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl at his Jodhpur ashram in 2013 and arrested on that charge. Later, two Surat-based sisters, accused both him and his son of having raped them.
Messages on the web
Both the godman and his son denied the charges, and insisted that the whole thing is a conspiracy against them. Their followers have flooded the internet with posts claiming that the “anti-Hindu” media and Christian missionaries, among other villains, are behind the plot to defame the godman.
In addition to the noise being made online, Asaram supporters have been accused of interfering with justice and trying to influence the case as well. In 2013, his supporters clashed with the police and journalists in Jodhpur in an attempt to prevent them from arresting the godman, who has since been behind bars.
Since then, there have also been allegations of pressure in the case. In March 2014, two men threw acid at one of the witnesses in the case who Surat police said had declined to take police protection. At the time, NDTV reported the cops as having said that the two other people in Surat who had also declined police protection had also been attacked.
Pressure on witnesses
Then, in June 2014. Amrut Prajapati, a former aide of the godman and an Ayurveda doctor, was shot in Rajkot. Prajapati, a key witness in the case who had been Asaram’s personal doctor for 15 years, died two weeks later. He had previously made allegations against the godman for allegedly being involved in the deaths of two teenage boys in the Ashram, and had taken to keeping a revolver with him after having been attacked a couple of times because he gave statements against Asaram.
In the trial too there have been allegations of intimidation. The father of the girl who the godman allegedly sexually assaulted in Jodhpur said that she had been getting phone calls with death threats from his supporters. Another witness was also reportedly asked to change her statement in court, giving impetus to the suggestion that all those in the prosecution’s case are being pushed to retract their testimony.
With the death of yet another witness, the question of whether the cases against the godman can go on fairly remains an open one.