The ‘controversial’ Asaram who is currently in police custody for the alleged sexual assault of a minor girl, the self-styled godman seems to be haunted by his past troubles as his well-hidden skeletons keep falling out.
Many followers of Asaram Bapu grab the dust from the roads from which Asaram Bapu travels. Clad in a white dhoti-kurta and an equally matching long white beard, Asaram Bapu’s character is not as ‘white’ as it should have been. Instead, it is painted with “shades of grey”.
He was born as ‘Asumal Sirumalani’ in the Berani village of the Nawabshah District before Partition (present-day Pakistan), to Menhgiba and Thaumal Sirumalani. With a father who did business concerned with coal and wood, he took over for a short time after his father’s death. He turned from a coal seller into a spiritual guru. But that was later on in his life.
People who know Asaram Bapu as ‘Asumal’ have said that he used to work as a tea-seller in front of the Magistrate’s office owned by one of his relative Sevak Ram that is still in operation.
After travelling to many places in India Asumal then went to Swami Shri Lilashahji Maharaj’s Ashram in Vrindavan. Asumal was 23 years old when he stayed there with Lilashahji Maharaj. Later Swami Lilashahji blessed him with ultimate knowledge transforming Asumal into Swami Shri Asharamji Maharaj by his touch. Asumal allegedly got enlightenment on October 7, 1964.
Asaram’s fame shot up when one day while coming back from the Banas river, he saw a dead cow surrounded by several villagers in front of the Deesa Ashram. He gave some water to one villager and asked him to sprinkle it on the cow & quietly left the place. To the amazement of all, as soon as the water was sprinkled on the cow, it turned alive.
Asaram started off by building a small cottage on the banks of Sabarmati and today he has more than 300 Sant Shri Asaram Bapu ashrams (hermitage) and more than 1500 Yog Vedanta samitis (sister organization) across the world.
Asaram faced a lot of backlash when he gave the statement that “Galati ek taraf se nahin hoti hai,” with regards to the Delhi rape case. According to him Delhi gang rape and murder would not have happened if the victim had called the rapist-killers her ‘brothers’ and fallen at their feet.
In the year 2008 Asaram found himself amidst another controversy involving the deaths of two ten-year-old cousins, Abhishek and Dipesh Vaghela, at the ashram’s Bal Kendra, on 3 July, a month after they were admitted there as students. Their bodies were finally recovered from a dried-up riverbed close to the ashram.
The incident served to lend proof to the allegations of tantric and unethical practices followed by Asaram and his followers. This incident further gave a strong voice to meagre whispers.
In February 2009, the Gujarat government admitted in the legislative assembly that the Asaram ashram had encroached on 67,099 sq. m of land in Ahmedabad.
Asaram Bapu has even slapped a video journalist during his satsang in Ghaziabad that again gave rise to a controversy.
Then came the accusation of a 16-year-old girl which was the last straw. According to the complaint, the girl had fallen ill at the school and the authorities had advised her parents to take her to Asaram who would do a special puja for her cure. He then took the girl into his room and allegedly forced her into unnatural sex, threatening her that his guards would eliminate her family if she refused.
Asaram Bapu has since been convicted.
Until his arrest, Asaram enjoyed VVIP status at airports; he would not be frisked and would drive straight to the aircraft. After the allegation of sexual assault, he reportedly moved around with muscle men. His disciples and Asaram himself have been known to assault people
Among his loyal followers are counted former MP chief minister Uma Bharti and Raman Singh in Chhattisgarh. While Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is also counted as a follower, Asaram was interestingly in the good books of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi until the last few years. Modi even visited Asaram’s Ahmedabad ashram.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
