Indore: Spiritual guru Asaram Babu was arrested here late last night by Jodhpur police over alleged sexual assault against a 16-year-old girl in his ashram, official sources said.
“He has been arrested,” a senior police official said.
Asaram was arrested after lengthy questioning in his ashram here, sources said, adding that he would be taken to Jodhpur.
The 72-year-old has been booked under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the Indian Penal Code. Earlier, a look-out circular was also issued against him to prevent any attempt by him to leave the country.
Earlier in the day, the victim’s family started a 24-hour hunger strike in Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh demanding Asaram Bapu’s immediate arrest.
Speaking to media persons, Ajay Lamba, the deputy commissioner of police, Jodhpur, said they would question the guru.
Asaram Bapu’s son, Narayan Sai, told reporters in Indore that his father was “not in hiding” but in hospital. “Police are welcome to question him anytime,” he told reporters.
“He is innocent and no rape took place. He is not hiding and has been admitted due to ill health,” he added, without naming the hospital where the guru was hospitalised.
On Tuesday, Asaram Bapu was served notice at his ashram in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, asking him to appear before police in Jodhpur for questioning before or on August 30. However, he sought more time and played a cat-and-mouse game with police the whole of Friday.
Since early morning a large number of Asaram’s supporters had gathered at the spiritual guru’s Bhopal and Indore ashrams as news spread that he could be in one of the two places.
Fearing law and order breakdown, a large posse of policemen was stationed at three ashrams of the guru, a Hindu preacher who was born in Sindh province of Pakistan before his family migrated to near Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
In Jodhpur, the religious preacher’s supporters attacked media persons, seriously injuring two.
IANS
