Asaram Bapu booked for attempt to murder

Spiritual guru Asaram Bapu has been booked for attempt to murder a former trustee of his ashrams in Gujarat and Rajasthan, Raju  Chandak, who was shot at by two unidentified bikers late on Saturday night. The incident took place in Sabarmati area, quite near the sect’s headquarters, at 9 pm.

The assailants fired at Chandak thrice, hitting him in the right shoulder and back. He was rushed to Sal Hospital where his condition is stable. Sabarmati police recorded his statement in hospital where he said that, after serving as a trustee for 20 years, he had dissociated himself because of “immoral activities” in the ashrams. After the mysterious death of two boys, Dipesh and Abhishek Vaghela, at Motera ashram in Ahmedabad earlier this year, he had given a damning statement against the ashram to the inquiry panel probing the deaths.

Since then, Chandak claimed, he was getting telephonic threats from Ghaziabad and Delhi. On Saturday evening, he left work in Bapunagar, where he runs an incense-making factory, for home in Sabarmati. After crossing the Chimanbhai Patel overbridge, two unidentified persons on a bike caught up with him near Sabarmati Arts and Commerce College and fired at him. Hit by bullets, he managed to flee the spot and reach home at Mahavir Apartment. “Chandak has alleged that the murder attempt was at the behest of Asaram Bapu. We are investigating and also trying to track down the shooters,” said inspector of Sabarmati police station, MB Joshi.