Capt Shekhar: Sant Shri Guru Asaram Ji Bapu Wants to Videotape Testimony, Rather than Appear

Friday 26 October 2012

Sant Shri Guru Asaram Ji Bapu Wants to Videotape Testimony, Rather than Appear

Guru Asaram Bapu has issued another plea for videotaping his testimony in the deaths of Dipesh Vaghela and Abhishek Vaghela, citing a fear for his life, should he appear in person at a Commission of Enquiry.

The mysterious death of the two cousins while attending Asaram’s Gurukul in 2008 is still a cause for question by the Commission.

Asaram has offered his testimony by video conferencing or by having Justice DK Trivedi, head of the Commission of Enquiry, come to his Ashram in Sabarmati to record his statement. Or Trivedi could send an approved representative to take his place.

The Commission has issued multiple summonses for Asaram, and his son Narayan Sai, to appear before the Commission – but to no avail.

The father and son have managed to find ways around appearing for various reasons, but a date of October 23 has been set to determine as to whether or not they would accept Asaram’s plea for a video testimony, rather than physical appearance.

Image via Shutterstock

Riots that occurred in 2008 after the deaths of the two youngsters and violence at a 2009 rally are the basis for Asamram fear for his life.

The families of the Vaghelas have seriously questioned the cause of death surrounding the two young men after they were found in a Sabarmati river. The families believe Asaram was practicing black magic, and that this was the cause of the untimely deaths.

There have been several claims that black magic has been practiced in his ashram, though what exactly this translates to for westerners is unclear. Police have previously concluded that the two boys could have drowned; however, the parents of the boys do not accept this answer.

Although the police have previously failed to support the families’ belief that the boys died as a result of black magic, they have conceded that the ashram encroaches on government-owned land. The deaths remain mysterious.