Asaram Bapu was accused of harassing a 16-year-old girl at his Jodhpur ashram in August 2013. The attacks on the witnesses in the Asaram Bapu case and the deaths related to the Vyapam scam point to the emergence of fascism in all walks of life. We have seen godmen climbing up the rungs of power and build empires in the name of religions. They are not led by religious ideas or ideals. They talk about renunciation but live a life immersed in luxury. More importantly, they are above the law.
Asaram Bapu is the most important among them. He was accused of harassing a 16-year-old girl at his Jodhpur ashram in August 2013. He had managed to cover up the death of two boys at his Ahmedabad ashram and two more deaths at Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh.
Asaram’s aide Dinesh Bhavchandani had acid thrown on his face by two motorcycle riders in March 2014. Another aide, Amrit Prajapati, was shot dead at Rajkot in June 2014. Akhil Gupta, the main witness in the rape of the 16-year-old girl, was killed in Muzaffarnagar in January. Gupta had testified that he had seen two rape victims entering the rooms of Asaram and son Narayan Sai in 2004. These girls had accused the father and the son of raping them.
Prosecution witness Rahul Sachan was attacked in February while he was getting into a police vehicle. Mahendra Chawla, a former secretary of Asaram’s ashram, who revealed the deeds of the godman and his son, was shot dead at Panipat in May. Miscreants slit the throat of Dainik Jagran reporter Yadav, who had written about Asaram. There was no legal action in any of these cases because of Asaram’s political clout. Asaram is free to continue with his “heroics” even after he has been jailed.
The Vyapam (Vyavasayik Pariksha Mandal) scam in Madhya Pradesh is claiming victims day by day.The Vyapam (Vyavasayik Pariksha Mandal) scam in Madhya Pradesh is claiming victims day by day. The BJP’s chief minister is sitting pretty even though 46 people have died so far. Politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen are involved in this scam, which has exploited 39 lakh students and job aspirants. All the exams from 2008 to 2013 have been doctored.
The deaths of Namrata Damor, a beneficiary of the scam, TV reporter Akshay Singh who was covering the scam, Jabalpur Medical College dean D.K. Sakalle and his successor Arun Sharma are still shrouded in mystery.
Power centres and criminals are threatening democracy, secularism, diversity and the very idea of India. The fight against corruption has vanished into thin air. Even Anna Hazare seems to be contended with the ouster of the Congress. Not even feeble voices of dissent are heard from anywhere.
The government is trying to charm the people even as the common man is robbed and murdered in the street.
(The writer is a social activist and the founder trustee of Anhad)
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