Jump to content

Asaram

Page semi-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Sant Sri Asaramji Bapu)

Asaram
Image of Asaram
Born
Asumal Sirumalani Harpalani

(1941-04-17) 17 April 1941 (age 83)[1]
Other namesAsaram
OrganizationShree Yog Vedanta Sewa Samiti
Criminal statusIn Prison
Children2, including Narayan Sai
Conviction(s)Rape, 2018
Criminal chargeRape, Murder, Criminal Intimidation
PenaltyLife imprisonment
Capture status
Arrested on 31 August 2013, Indore, Madhya Pradesh
Date apprehended
1 September 2013
Imprisoned atJodhpur Central Jail, Jodhpur
Websitehttps://www.ashram.org/

Asumal Sirumalani Harpalani (born 17 April 1941), known by devotees as Asaram, is an Indian spiritual leader and convicted rapist, who started to come into the limelight in the early 1970s. By 2013, he was estimated to have established over 400 ashrams and 40 schools in India and abroad.[2]

Multiple legal proceedings have been initiated against him, in connection with illegal encroachment, rape, and tampering of a witness. In 2018, Asaram was found guilty of the rape of a minor girl by Special Judge Madhusudhan Sharma of a special Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe court in Jodhpur and is currently serving life imprisonment in Jodhpur.[3][4][5] Asaram's counsel has filed an appeal in the Rajasthan High Court challenging the judgment of the special court. The counsel argues that the trial court ignored significant facts and claims that the case is a clear and disturbing illustration of trial by media.[6][7]

In 2024, Supreme Court lawyer and activist of the 'Fight for your Right' organisation, Ms Kirti Ahuja alleged significant deficiencies in the legal proceedings in Asaram Bapu case. She said that the trial courts in Jodhpur and Ahmedabad failed to address several lacunae within the case, leading to a potential miscarriage of justice.[8]

In December 2017, Asaram was declared as a fake baba by Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, the apex organisation of Hindu Sants (saints) and Sadhus (ascetics) in India.[9]

Early life

Asaram was born on 17 April 1941, in the Berani village of the Nawabshah District in British India (present-day Berani Town is located in Jam Nawaz Ali Tehsil of Sanghar district Sindh, Pakistan), to Menhgiba and Thaumal Sirumalani,[10] in the Sindhi caste.[11] His birthname was Asumal Thaumal Harpalani[12][13] or Asumal Sirumalani.[14][15]

Following the partition of India in 1947, he and his family moved to Ahmedabad, then part of the former Bombay State in India (now Gujarat), leaving behind their immovable assets in Sindh, where Asaram's father founded a coal and wood selling business.[1] Asumal ran this business for a short time, after his father's death.[16] He received his formal education at Jai Hind High School, up-till class III, when his father died.

Introduction into spirituality

Asumal had a history of running away from home, beginning at the age of 15 when he fled to an ashram eight days before his eventual wedding.[15] In one such event away from home, a local religio-spiritual figure had[17] ordained him as his disciple at an ashram in Gandhidham,[11] and named him Asaram on 7 October 1964.[15] Asaram Bapu's Guru Parampara starts from Lord Narayan. This divine lineage includes Brahmaji, Vedavyasji, Kabirdasji, Dadu Dayalji, Swami Lilashahji Maharaj and others.[18]

Sources mention him to have been involved in a variety of professions ranging from selling liquors[12] and tea[14] to repairing cycles[13] and trading sugar,[19] prior to his establishment as a religious leader.

Personal life

Asaram is married to Laxmi Devi.[20] They have two children, son Narayan Sai and daughter Bhartishree or Bharti Devi. Asaram remained a householder[21] and was never ordained a monk. Their son Narayan worked with Asaram.[22][23] In 2019, a sessions court sentenced Narayan to life imprisonment in a rape case filed against him by a former woman devotee in 2013.[24] Laxmi Devi and Bhartishree were also arrested in relation to Asaram's offences, being accused of aiding and abetting the crime. They were acquitted for lack of evidence.[25]

Activities

Rise to prominence

According to his official biography, Asaram returned to Ahmedabad on 8 July 1971 and on 29 January 1972, built a hut at Motera, then a village on the banks of the Sabarmati.[15] Although his official biography does not mention it, Asaram had lived in Motera's Sadashiv Ashram for two years, before setting up his own hut adjacent to it.[26]

He became a popular katha-vachak (narrator of religious stories),[27] combining his discourses with humour, music and dancing.[28] Initially outside of his own Sindhi community, he attracted Other Backward Classes and Dalits. After he became well known, he started attracting the upper-caste listeners also. His ashrams offered free food. In the tribal areas, feasts were organized where utensils and clothes were distributed.

It was my great opportunity to have met him at a point in my life when nobody knew me ... From that time I have been receiving Bapu's blessings, have continued to receive his affection... Asaram's words had a yogic strength, and with trust in that yogic strength, the dream of crores of us in Gujarat will come true... I pray on Bapu's blessed steps, I bow to him. Sacred Bapu's love, his blessings, his best wishes will give me new strength. With that belief, I got the chance to come here, I consider myself lucky for it. I prostrate myself before blessed Bapu...

Narendra Modi — then general secretary of Gujarat BJP and later Prime Minister of India — speaking at a gathering of Asaram's devotees at Motera Ashram (2000).[11]
Scholars note Asaram to have played an important role in Modi's rise to power.[29][30]

He converted his hut into a small ashram in 1973, and started with 5–10 followers. With successive local governments from across the political divide, paying economic patronage to him including by grant of lands for expansion of his ashrams,[15][31][32] and a growing Hinduisation of the Gujarati society in the wake of Hindutva centered politics.[11][19][32] [a] Many political leaders went on to visit him to pay him respect through the decades; primarily in lieu of commanding the votes of his followers, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L.K. Advani, Narendra Modi, Digvijaya Singh, Farook Abdullah, George Fernandes, Raman Singh, Uma Bharti, Kapil Sibal, Ajay Maken, Motilal Vora, Krishna Tirath, Vilasrao Deshmukh and Kamal Nath[11][34][35][36][37] By 2013, Asaram claimed to have four hundred major and minor ashrams in India and 18 other countries, with over forty million followers.[31][11][38][39]

Teachings and views

Asaram's core teachings align with Hindutva-centred views. Ram Puniyani notes overt Brahminical tones in his teachings.[40]

Emphasizing upon the prominence of Brahmcharya[41][42] and Guru-Shishya relationship, it was instilled among the devotees, to accept Asaram (and his son) as infallible, be blindly obedient to them and not to question them about anything, whatsoever.[11][17] Physical violence is advocated for against any dissident.[17]

Asaram has been long vocal against increasing sexual liberation of the society and deemed the adoption of Western culture artifacts as corruption of morality.[42][43] Shri Yogi Vedanta Seva Samiti organized a Matri Pitri Poojan Divas ("mother-father worship day") on 14 February, as a form of protest against Valentine's Day, which is supposedly symbolic of a Western cultural invasion.[44][45][46] Asaram's proposal was supported by many prominent Indian politicians including union ministers and the President of India.[47] In 2015, the Government of Chhattisgarh state even institutionalized the practice, and directed all schools to observe Matru-Pitru Diwas ("mother-father day") every year on 14 February after Asaram urged the Chief Minister Raman Singh in this regard.[48][49] Similar statement was also issued by Hindu Mahasabha.[50] In 2014 he started Tulsi Poojan Diwas (a day to worship Tulsi - the Holy Hindu plant) to counter the celebration of Christmas.[51]

The teachings are typically pre-recorded and broadcast through mass-media.[31] Asaram has also organized spiritual discourses all over India, whence his disciples are accorded diksha (initiation by a guru) by him. Around 20,000 students visited his satsang in Ahmedabad in December 2001.[52][53][54] He has also participated in shuddhi movements, and advocated against conversion to Christianity.[55][42]

Economic activities

Asaram runs an Ayurvedic medicine business.[42] Two magazines—RishiPrasad, a monthly and Lok Kalyan Setu, a fortnightly—sold about 14 lakh copies every month in 2008, incurring a net annual earning of around INR 7.50 crore.[17] Around three to four Gurupurnima functions, held per year, received donations ranging into crores of rupees.[17] Frontline valued his assets (2008) at about INR 5000 Crore.[42]

Gross economic mismanagement has been documented.[56]

Controversies

Land encroachment

Asaram had a modus operandi of occupying vacant plots of land, occupying it through illegal means including forgery of records[17] and unleashing a throng of devotees, when resisted by the state machinery.[11] A number of his ashrams have faced legal challenges, on grounds of illegal encroachment. Multiple state governments have razed ashrams to reclaim lands, that were illegally encroached upon (including by forgery of documents)[15][57][26] and there are multiple pending cases and investigations.[58]

In February 2009, the Gujarat Legislative Assembly had revealed Asaram illegally encroaching upon net land of 67,099 sq. m, in Ahmedabad alone.[31] In February 2013, Serious Fraud Investigation Office recommended his prosecution in land encroachment worth INR 700 crore.[59]

Gurukul deaths

By 2008, 40 of Asaram's ashrams had gurukuls (residential schools) attached to them.[15]

On 3 July 2008, two boys went missing from Asaram's gurukul in Motera (Gujarat).[31] The boys' parents alleged that the ashram administration initially tried to restrain them from lodging a complaint with the police and that the police harassed them on receiving cues from ashram heavyweights.[31] On 5 July 2013, the boys' mutilated bodies were found on the banks of the Sabarmati river near the Ashram, with the ashram having conducted several futile religious efforts in locating them.[31] The incident led to unprecedented state-wide public agitations,[19] with allegations that the boys had been sacrificed by Asaram and his followers through black magic.[31]

Around same time, two more boys were found dead at a sister-gurukul in Chhindwara (accommodating about 370 students).[31][60] There were widespread local protests with calls for closure and numerous parents chose to take away their wards as a result, especially after the ashram authorities tried to prevent any telephonic conversation between them.[61][62] The post-mortem report of the first death did not show any abnormality other than that of accidental death by drowning, and the parents accepted the results whilst giving Asaram and the Ashram authorities a clean chit.[63] Forensic investigation went on to reveal bite marks on the second body;[19] however, the parents chose to not hold the Ashram authorities of any negligence, and instead wanted a probe into an alleged conspiracy to defame the ashram.[61] A magistrate-level inquiry was subsequently ordered,[60] which held a fourteen year old fellow student of murdering both the children.[64] The ashram was soon shut for at least a week.[64]

The Narendra Modi-led Gujarat state government set up the Justice D.K. Trivedi Commission to probe the deaths in the Motera ashram and allotted a time-frame of three months.[65][60] The commission had been criticized by the High Court for its procedural biases towards Asaram;[31] the final report was submitted in 2013, but were only disclosed in 2019 by the state legislature, essentially exonerating Asaram of all charges but holding the ashram authorities responsible for negligence.[66] A concurrent CID probe, ordered on the behest of the High Court of Gujarat had already rejected the claims of practice of black magic, in 2010.[67]

It was reported that after this event, Narendra Modi had warned the Vishwa Hindu Parishad not to support Asaram in any public forum. Asaram's supporters attempted to a patch-up with Modi, but were unsuccessful.[68] VHP was critical of Narendra Modi for abandoning Asaram.[69] Modi later in 2013 asked BJP not to defend Asaram.[70] Modi also ordered an investigation into his ashram properties.[71]

Delhi gang rape comments

In January 2013, while addressing a gathering of his followers, Asaram commented of the 2012 Delhi gang rape victim to be as guilty as her rapists: "The victim is as guilty as her rapists… She should have called the culprits brothers and begged before them to stop… This could have saved her dignity and life. Can one hand clap? I don't think so."[72][73] He went on to opine against harsher punishments for the accused in the Delhi rape victim case (under retrospective provisions), as he felt that the law had the potential to be misused.[74]

The comments were widely criticized.[75][76] Asaram states that his statements were distorted and misrepresented.[77]

Jodhpur rape convictions and imprisonment

In August 2013, a 16-year-old girl who was staying at Asaram's ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur,[3] accused Asaram of sexually assaulting her on the night of 15 August at his Manai ashram in Jodhpur on the pretext of exorcising her from evil spirits.[78][79] The girl's parents, who were disciples of Asaram, filed a complaint with the police in Delhi, and a case was registered after the medical examination of the girl confirmed sexual assault.[80] The issue was discussed in Indian Parliament and a strict action was demanded.[79]

When Asaram did not appear for interrogation by 31 August, Delhi Police booked him under multiple non-bailable sections of IPC.[81] Asaram was in one of his ashram(s) in Indore when clashes broke out between his disciples and the journalists and policemen.[82] Eventually, the Jodhpur police arrested him on 1 September 2013 from his ashram,[78][83] and flew him to Jodhpur, where he was imprisoned.[84] Asaram was charged under Sections 342, 376, 506 and 509 of the IPC, as well as under Section 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and sections 23 and 26 of the Juvenile Justice Act.[84] Before his arrest he got wide-scale support from Bharatiya Janata Party in the state of Madhya Pradesh, including local MLA Ramesh Mendola.[85] Ashok Singhal and Pravin Togadia, presidents of Vishva Hindu Parishad deemed the arrest to be an attack on Hindu religious sentiments; Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the ruling party and the Hindu Jagruti Manch organised violent demonstrations across the country, in protest.[42][86]

Asaram had dismissed the girl's allegations[87][88] and claimed impotency (which was subsequently proved to be untrue).[89][90] Asaram had submitted to the court citation letters from former presidents KR Narayanan and APJ Abdul Kalam, former vice president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, and Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh, Kamal Nath and Kapil Sibal[91] to buttress his claim of having performed charitable acts over the years. However, the court, which sentenced him to life imprisonment for raping a minor girl, dismissed the citations. He has since been in jail and was denied bail 12 times.[92][93][94][95] The family of the victim allege that they received threats from Asaram's followers wanting the charges against him dropped.[84]

On 25 April 2018, Jodhpur Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Court found him guilty of the rape charges and pronounced a verdict of life imprisonment, along with a fine of ₹500,000 which was to be paid to the victim.[95] Two of his associates were awarded 20 years imprisonment.[96][3][97] He and the other co-accuseds went on to appeal for a suspension of the sentence in the Rajasthan High Court.[7] On 29 September 2018, the Court suspended the sentence of one of the co-accused;[98][99] however, on 23 September 2019, Asaram's plea for suspension was rejected.[5] Appeal said the trial court ignored many facts in its decision, "The present case is a clear and disturbing illustration of trial by media.[100][101] A separate appeal on the premises of the merits of the judgement, is ongoing.[102]

Asaram continues to evoke blind devotion from his followers, who believe that he has been the victim of a conspiracy.[39][103][104]

Surat rape case

In December 2013, Asaram's son Narayan was arrested on charges of rape, after two sisters from Surat alleged that he and his father had raped them in Asaram's ashram during the mid-2000s.[105] The elder sister accused Asaram of repeated sexual assaults during 1997–2006 at the Motera ashram, whilst the younger sister accused Narayan of sexually assaulting her during 2002–2005 at the Surat ashram. One of the sisters also alleged that Asaram's wife and daughter helped the two men exploit the girls.[106][107] In January 2023, a Gandhi Nagar court convicted him of this charge and sentence him to life imprisonment.[108]

On April 26, 2019, Narayan was convicted under Indian Penal Code sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 323 (assault), 506-2 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (conspiracy) by Surat Court and sentenced to life imprisonment.[109]

Attacks against witnesses

From 2014 to 2015, there have been numerous attacks against various witnesses and relatives of victims, in the Asaram case.[11][26][110][111][112][113][114][115][116]

A former devotee and Asaram's videographer was fired at by vehicle-borne assailants in March 2014.[11] Less than a week later, another former devotee, who was earlier thrown out of the ashram on spurious charges,[17] was subject to an acid-attack but he managed to overpower one of his attackers; subsequent grilling revealed that the group were instructed by a devout follower of Asaram to assassinate witnesses in the case.[11] An ashram secretary was shot at, after his deposition before Trivedi Commission.[31] A former aide of Asaram, who had turned against him, was shot and killed on 23 May 2014, after multiple prior attempts.[15][31][117][118][119] Narendra Yadav, a vernacular journalist who profiled multiple stories on Asaram's exploits, was attacked in September 2014; he survived.[11] A former cook, who was the prime witness in the Surat rape case, was shot and killed on 11 January 2015.[120][121] Another of Asaram's former personal assistants, who turned witness in the Jodhpur as well as Surat cases, was victim of a stabbing by one of Asaram's follower after a court-session in February 2015; he alleged the act to have been green-lit by Asaram himself.[11] Months later, the man went missing and police have failed to find any trace, till date; he had filed a plea in the Supreme Court for police protection, after being subject to a bevy of death threats by Asaram's followers, having mentioned about bringing more victims into the limelight.[11][19] Another ex-personal-assistant and witness in both the cases narrowly missed an attempted murder in May 2015 and now lives under state protection.[107]

Notes

  1. ^ However Justice D K Trivedi Commission stated that there is no evidence of such rituals in one of his Ashrams at Gujarat.[33]

References

  1. ^ a b "Coal-seller Harpalani turned Asaram 'bapu' faces new allegations". Daily Bhaskar. 22 August 2013. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  2. ^ "Asaram's daughter running empire of 400 ashrams spread over India". 25 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Asaram convicted for raping minor girl". The Hindu. 25 April 2018. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Self-styled godman Asaram found guilty of rape of teenager in 2013". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Jodhpur HC dismisses Asaram Bapu's plea challenging life term in rape case". India Today. 23 September 2019. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Conviction challenged in Rajasthan HC". The Times of India. 3 July 2018. ISSN 0971-8257.
  7. ^ a b "Asaram cites 'trial by media' in rape conviction, files appeal against life term". Hindustan Times. 3 July 2018. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  8. ^ English, B. M. (11 March 2024). "Supreme Court lawyer Kirti Ahuja highlights gross lapses in Asaram Bapu's trials". Bharat Mirror English.
  9. ^ "Apex body of sadhus releases 2nd list of fake godmen – Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  10. ^ "Asaram worked at a tea stall before he became a 'godman'". IBNLive. 30 August 2013. Archived from the original on 3 September 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Dubey, Priyanka (1 April 2017). "The nightmarish struggle to bring Asaram to justice". The Caravan. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Controversial godman: Can Asaram come clean on the rape allegations?". Hindustan Times. 29 August 2013. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  13. ^ a b "The Politics of Sex". India Today. 30 August 2013. Archived from the original on 1 September 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  14. ^ a b Preeti Panwar. "Asaram Bapu's life journey from a tea seller to the spiritual guru". Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h "Exclusive: The rise and fall of the guru". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  16. ^ "How much are Asaram's assets worth?". Yahoo News India. 2 September 2013. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g Uday Mahurkar (24 July 2008). "Clouded in controversy". India Today. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Guru Parampara: Boon to Humanity; Lord Vishnu to Asaram ji Bapu". Ahmedabad Mirror. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  19. ^ a b c d e Katakam, Anupama (13 October 2017). "Tainted guru". Frontline. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  20. ^ "Asaram Bapu's daughter Bhartishree Now handles his empire". News18. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  21. ^ आसाराम बापू के बचाव में आगे आई उमा भारती, Jagran, 23 Aug 2013
  22. ^ "Asaram, Son Asked To Appear Before Commission By 6 June". IndiaTV. 8 May 2005. Archived from the original on 3 September 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2005.
  23. ^ "Asaram, Ram Rahim, Rampal: The 14 fake babas put on boycott list". Hindustan Times. 11 September 2017. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  24. ^ "Asaram's son Narayan Sai gets life imprisonment in rape case". The Economic Times. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  25. ^ "BREAKING: Asaram Gets Life Term in 2013 Rape Case Wife And Daughter Acquitted". www.india.com. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  26. ^ a b c "The saint and his taint". Tehelka.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  27. ^ कथावाचक आसाराम बापू पर दुराचार के आरोपों में मुख्य गवाह एसपी से मिला, अमर उजाला, Wed, 28 Dec 2016
  28. ^ गजेंद्र चौहान: छात्रों के लिए युद्धिष्ठिर नहीं दुर्योधन जंगल लव जैसी सी ग्रेड फिल्में और महाभारत के युधिष्ठिर का किरदार, बस इसी उपलब्धि के आधार पर एफटीआईआई में चेयरमैन बन बैठे गजेंद्र चौहान, Sarita, सोमा घोष, February 15, 2016
  29. ^ Banaji, Jairus, ed. (2013). "Postscript" (PDF). Fascism: essays on Europe and India. ISBN 978-81-88789-94-8. OCLC 840408180.
  30. ^ Sinha, Subir (2017). "Mediatized Populisms| Fragile Hegemony: Social Media and Competitive Electoral Populism in India". International Journal of Communication. 11.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "The Dark Side of Asaram Bapu". OPEN Magazine. 30 January 2013. Archived from the original on 21 August 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  32. ^ a b Nanda, Meera (4 October 2008). "In the name of faith". Frontline. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  33. ^ "Death of two school-children: Asaram, son get clean chit from commission". The Economic Times. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  34. ^ Tripathi, Purnima S. "Political patrons". Frontline. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  35. ^ Mahurkar, Uday (17 August 2015). "Asaram: From rags to riches to infamy". India Today. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  36. ^ "कभी ये बड़े नेता थे आसाराम के दोस्त!". आज तक (in Hindi). 3 May 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  37. ^ "Senior Congress Leaders who tried to save Asaram were completely nailed by The Supreme Court!! Do you know what the apex court said to these leaders?". Post Card News: Breaking News, Exclusive Stories, History, Spirituality, Political Analysis, Economics, Nationalism, Culture, Opinion, India and World News, Indian Armed Force. 27 April 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  38. ^ Uday Mahurkar (6 August 2015). "Asaram's empire of deceit". India Today. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  39. ^ a b Webb, Emily (14 June 2018). "The Policeman Who Toppled a Guru". Outlook (Podcast). BBC World Service. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  40. ^ Puniyani, Ram (21 July 2005). Religion, Power and Violence: Expression of Politics in Contemporary Times. SAGE Publications. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-7619-3338-0.
  41. ^ Dishank Purohit (27 April 2018). "Miracles, supernatural tales kept Asaram's cult going". The Times of India. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  42. ^ a b c d e f "Asaram's empire". Frontline. 4 October 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  43. ^ Poonam, Snigdha (30 August 2013). "The Advantages of Being Asaram Bapu". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  44. ^ "Indianisation of Valentine's Day". New Indian Express. 15 February 2011. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  45. ^ "Worship parents on Valentine's Day, says Asaram Bapu". India Today. 29 January 2012. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  46. ^ D P Bhattacharya (29 January 2012). "Worship parents on Valentine's Day, says Asaram Bapu". India Today. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  47. ^ Prerna Koul Mishra (22 August 2013). "Commoner vs Asaram: Her word against the 'Gospel'!". India Today. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  48. ^ "Commoner vs Asaram: Her word against the 'Gospel'!". India Today. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  49. ^ "It's official: Chhattisgarh renames V-Day as 'Matru-Pitru Diwas'". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  50. ^ "It's official: Chhattisgarh renames V-Day as 'Matru-Pitru Diwas'". The Times of India. 7 February 2015. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  51. ^ Tulsi Pujan Day 2020: Tulsi Day trending on Christmas | क्रिसमस के बीच ट्विटर पर ट्रेंड कर रहा है तुलसी पूजन दिवस, जानिए क्या है वजह | Hindi News, देश
  52. ^ "Students throng at Asaram Bapu's discourse". The Times of India. 2 December 2001. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2001.
  53. ^ "Many to take 'diksha' today". The Times of India. 8 May 2005. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2005. Many to take 'diksha' today
  54. ^ "Spiritual leader Asaram Bapu survives chopper crash". The Times of India. 30 August 2012. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  55. ^ Kanungo, Pralay; Joshi, Satyakam (1 December 2009). "Carving out a White Marble Deity from a Rugged Black Stone?: Hindutva Rehabilitates Ramayan's Shabari in a Temple". International Journal of Hindu Studies. 13 (3): 279–299. doi:10.1007/s11407-010-9080-5. ISSN 1574-9282. JSTOR 40608066. S2CID 143078203.
  56. ^ Majumdar, Ushinor (5 December 2018). God of Sin: The Cult, Clout and Downfall of Asaram Bapu. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-5305-365-9.
  57. ^ "Asaram ashram encroachment demolished in Gujarat". Thaindian News. 27 November 2010. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  58. ^ "Asaram Bapu's prosecution sought for Rs 700cr land grab". The Times of India. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 24 August 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  59. ^ Anup Dutta (23 August 2013). "Asaram Bapu's gurukul says girl 'abnormal' after she accuses godman of sexual assault". India Today. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  60. ^ a b c "Fourth child found dead in gurukul run by Asaram Bapu; protests snowball". The Indian Express. Express News Service. 1 August 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  61. ^ a b Vivek Deshpande (2 August 2008). "As defence, Asaram ashram fields parents of dead child". The Indian Express. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  62. ^ "14-year-old killed gurukul students: cops". The Indian Express. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  63. ^ "Parents of dead minor give clean chit to Asaram ashram". India Today. Press Trust of India. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  64. ^ a b Milind Ghatwai (4 August 2008). "14-year-old killed gurukul students: cops". The Indian Express. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  65. ^ "Parents of boys demand CBI probe". The Hindu. 7 October 2013. Archived from the original on 30 August 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  66. ^ "Death of two school-children: Asaram, son get clean chit from commission". The Economic Times. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  67. ^ "CID finds no proof of black magic in Asaram ashram". The Indian Express. 8 April 2010. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  68. ^ Asaram's Downfall Began 10 Years Ago With a Probe by CM Narendra Modi in Gujarat, News18, APRIL 26, 2018
  69. ^ VHP attacks BJP govt in Gujarat on Asaram Bapu issue, Indian Express, Wed Dec 23 2009
  70. ^ Don't defend rape-accused Asaram. Modi's angry diktat to party leaders, India Today, Bhavna Vij-Aurora, August 28, 2013
  71. ^ Modi gives orders to investigate Asaram's ashram properties, India Today, UDAY MAHURKAR, September 5, 2013
  72. ^ Brown, C. Mackenzie; Agrawal, Nupur D. (2014). "The Rape that Woke Up India: Hindu Imagination and the Rape of Jyoti Singh Pandey". Journal of Religion and Violence. 2 (2): 240. doi:10.5840/jrv2014222. ISSN 2159-6808. JSTOR 26671430.
  73. ^ "Asaram Bapu's view on Delhi rape raises anger, but shared by many". Reuters. 9 January 2013. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  74. ^ "Asaram Bapu adds to shame, says victim at fault too". Hindustan Times. 7 January 2013. Archived from the original on 12 February 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  75. ^ Dutta, Debolina; Sircar, Oishik (2013). "India's Winter of Discontent: Some Feminist Dilemmas in the Wake of a Rape". Feminist Studies. 39 (1): 295. ISSN 0046-3663. JSTOR 23719318.
  76. ^ Kinnvall, Catarina (March 2017). "Feeling ontologically (in)secure: States, traumas and the governing of gendered space". Cooperation and Conflict. 52 (1): 90–108. doi:10.1177/0010836716641137. ISSN 0010-8367. S2CID 146989700.
  77. ^ "Delhi gang rape: Asaram Bapu denies 'controversial' comment". Yahoo! News. 8 January 2013. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  78. ^ a b "Asaram Bapu brought to Jodhpur after late night arrest". NDTV. 1 September 2013. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  79. ^ a b "After rape, Asaram Bapu threatened me to keep quiet, says girl". Financial Express. 26 August 2013. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  80. ^ "Asaram Bapu rape case: Medical test confirms sexual assault of victim". India Today. 21 August 2013. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  81. ^ "FIR registered by victim against Asaram Bapu reveals a horrific tale of sexual assault". intoday.in. Archived from the original on 2 September 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  82. ^ Singh, Mahim Pratap (31 August 2013). "Asaram supporters attack on journalists condemned". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  83. ^ "Indian guru Asaram Bapu arrested over rape claims". 1 September 2013. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  84. ^ a b c "Asaram Bapu, Two Others Convicted of Raping Minor Girl". The Wire. 25 April 2018. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  85. ^ Vincent, Pheroze L. (27 August 2013). "Asaram served summons; to appear in Jodhpur by August 30". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  86. ^ "Asaram Bapu is real saint, is innocent: Pravin Togadia". The Economic Times. 28 August 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  87. ^ "Bakwaas: Asaram Bapu's response to charges that he threatened teen girl". NDTV. 27 August 2013. Archived from the original on 31 August 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  88. ^ "Sonia & Rahul running a campaign against me, says Asaram Bapu". Deccan Chronicle. 29 August 2013. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  89. ^ "Asaram cleared potency test without any drugs". Archived from the original on 6 September 2013.
  90. ^ "Asaram tells police he is impotent, potency test says he has active libido". intoday.in. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  91. ^ Sharma, Aman (27 April 2018). "Citation letters from President, netas couldn't save Asaram". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  92. ^ "Asaram's son Narayan Sai gets temporary bail". rediff.com. 25 May 2015. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  93. ^ "SC rejects jailed godman Asaram Bapu's bail plea". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  94. ^ "SC refuses to grant bail to Asaram Bapu, orders lodging of fresh FIR – Times of India ►". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  95. ^ a b "Self-styled godman Asaram sentenced to be in jail until death for raping minor girl". The Hindu. 25 April 2018. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  96. ^ "Self-styled godman Asaram found guilty of rape of teenager in 2013 – Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  97. ^ "Asaram Bapu verdict live updates : Godman along with two co- accused found guilty by Jodhpur Court". The Economic Times. 25 April 2018. Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  98. ^ "Asaram Bapu rape case: Rajasthan HC suspends sentence of co-accused, grants her bail". DNA India. 29 September 2018. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  99. ^ "Rajashan High Court Admits Appeal Against Conviction of Asaram". NDTV. Archived from the original on 12 November 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  100. ^ "Media Trial". 3 July 2018. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018.
  101. ^ "trial by media". Archived from the original on 4 January 2019.
  102. ^ "Asaram Bapu's plea for suspension of sentence dismissed by Jodhpur HC". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  103. ^ "The Following". The Indian Express. 15 September 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  104. ^ "Asaram verdict: Ashram quiet, followers indignant". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  105. ^ "Asaram's son Narayan Sai arrested, Gujarat Police get one-day remand". Zee News. 4 December 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  106. ^ "Police arrest Asaram Bapu's wife, daughter; release them". DNA India. 23 December 2013. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  107. ^ a b "I fear for my life, says prime witness in rape cases against Asaram, Narayan Sai". India Today. 25 April 2018. Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  108. ^ "Asaram Bapu gets life imprisonment in rape case". The Hindu. 31 January 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  109. ^ Satish Jha (30 April 2019). "Narayan Sai sentenced to life imprisonment for rape". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  110. ^ "Husband of woman who accused Narayan Sai of rape attacked". oneindia.com. 28 February 2014. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  111. ^ "Witness in Asaram rape case attacked". The Indian Express. 12 March 2014. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  112. ^ "Five held for attack on witnesses in rape cases against Asaram, Sai". The Indian Express. 19 March 2014. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  113. ^ "Guard left, 6th Asaram case witness attacked". The Indian Express. 14 May 2015. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  114. ^ "Another Asaram Bapu case witness shot at, seventh attack till now". The Indian Express. 11 July 2015. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  115. ^ Teltumbde, Anand (2013). "Who Are Behind India's Asarams?". Economic and Political Weekly. 48 (41): 10–11. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 23528426.
  116. ^ "Rape, murder, prostitution, hawala: The shady world of Asaram & son". Rediff. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  117. ^ "Amrut Prajapati, witness against Asaram, succumbs to bullet wounds". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 August 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  118. ^ "Vanzara protected Asaram like a wall". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  119. ^ "Asaram is alive because of my husband, my husband is dead because of him". The Indian Express. 24 June 2014. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  120. ^ "Asaram case: 5 things to know about Akhil Gupta who was shot dead". Archived from the original on 10 August 2015.
  121. ^ "Looking at all possible angles, not ruling out Asaram link to 'well-planned' murder: police". The Indian Express. 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2015.