01x02 - Skeletons in the Closet

[bunniefuu]

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

We believed that Asaram is God.

It's believed that his worth

would be in tens of

thousands of crores.

If Asaram said "jump off a

cliff," the disciple would jump.

These people whom we

considered our Guru, our God,

they only k*lled our children.

(NARAYAN SAI'S ASSOCIATE)

"Mahender, your corpse

will leave from your house."

Isn't this a threat?

Asaram and Narayan

practise black magic.

Narayan Sai and

Asaram Ashram's reality

should be exposed to the world.

During the first Diwali

after the Bhuj earthquake,

I was at Kalyan Ashram.

There was a river in front

of my room, to the east.

We used to relieve ourselves

in the open back then.

While washing my

hands in the bathroom,

I noticed a fire

burning at a distance.

Out of curiosity, I

decided to check it.

As I walked towards the

fire, I saw Narayan Sai there.

Later, he asked me, "What

did you see last night?"

I told him that I saw

someone lying beside him.

There was a skull

kept on top of the body

and you were offering

prayers to the fire.

That is all I saw.

He said,

"People who witness such

rituals either lose their sanity or die.

You have an incredibly

strong willpower,

that is why you survived."

And he said to me, "If you

want to dabble in the occult

then practise these chants.

'Mohan mantra, Maran,

Vashikaran, Buddhistamban.'"

They were occult chants and

prayers written by Narayan Sai himself.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

The two children who

died in Ahmedabad,

their fathers, the Vaghelas,

claimed that their children's

deaths were due to occult practices.

The condition in which

the bodies are seen

itself would suggest that

the death is not natural.

It is not due to drowning.

It is not due to

nibblings by animals.

A silent rally began in the

Nirnay Nagar area of Ahmedabad

where Dipesh's father

and Abhishek's uncle

have been on a hunger

strike for the past two days.

The families have alleged

that their children

have been m*rder*d.

The administration was shaken

by the thought of how they

could handle the situation.

(CROWD CLAMOURING)

There was a lot of

tension in the environment

because Asaram Bapu was

going to be present there.

Asaram Bapu had come to

meet us just as a formality.

I was holding the

Gita in my hands.

I told him that God will

ensure justice to you and me.

(RIVETING MUSIC)

If anyone accuses me or my

devotees of practising occult,

I can confidently claim

that it is impossible.

-One last question.

-"Narayan, Narayan, Narayan."

-"Hari Om, Om, Om."

-Which which

"Om Namo Bhagavate

Vasudevaya"

(MUSIC INTENSIFIES)

Many areas were

affected by stone pelting.

Many vehicles were burnt.

For the first time, the

image of Asaram Bapu

was being exposed in the media.

I used to think that

nothing will happen to him.

He will be scot-free.

Suddenly a girl, a minor, claims

that she has been r*ped by Asaram.

No such major complaint

had been made

against a spiritual leader

in this manner,

in public domain,

by one of their own

followers' families.

(THEME SONG)

(MUSIC FADES)

(SOMBER MUSIC)

Ahmedabad's Nirnaypur

area is soaked in sorrow.

Till about a month ago, this

house which was full of life and joy

with Abhishek and

Dipesh's presence,

is mourning today due

to their untimely deaths.

(SOBBING)

The children's bodies

were found near the Ashram,

on the banks of

the Sabarmati River.

The Vaghela family is alleging

that the boarding school authorities

are responsible for their deaths.

(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC)

When I asked to speak

with Asaram Bapu,

my request was denied

by the school authorities.

They said that I couldn't speak

with him as he was in Pune

and his phone

had poor reception.

(HORN HONKING)

The children were

dead and he knew that.

He could have come back in a

day or two or even after a week.

He could've just come here and

said, "I'm responsible for the Ashram.

I will cooperate in

the investigation,

whether with the police

or the government."

He didn't offer any such assurances.

He neither said nor did anything.

(PENSIVE MUSIC)

He used to come to the Ashram,

but we didn't know each other.

We knew of each

other but not personally.

And when their children died,

I didn't even know that they were

the children of the same Shantilal.

Just as my faith was

at its peak, so was his.

He enrolled his

child in the Ashram.

Basically he trusted the Ashram

with full responsibility

of his child,

hoping it would instil in

his child the right values.

He didn't know that in reality

he was sending off

his child to his death.

(POIGNANT MUSIC)

You have this terrible

feeling about being lied to.

Everything you believed

so strongly was just a con.

It was a sham.

And you have to rebuild

your sense of morality

and your belief system

from the ground up.

You kind of have to

start back at zero and say,

"Well, what do I

think about things?"

(CROWD CHANTING)

I realised that these people

were evil in the guise of saints

when they did not let

us file a police report

even after 20 days had passed.

They did not file a

report themselves either.

They would meet the police first

and then they'd let us meet them.

They knew they'd

done something wrong.

That is why they were

behaving this way.

We realised that the police will not

conduct an impartial investigation,

so we decided to

do a hunger strike

demanding a CBI

investigation into the case.

Following the death

of the two children

studying at the

Asaram Bapu Ashram,

people's anger

erupted on the streets.

A silent rally began

in the Nirnay Nagar

area of Ahmedabad

where Dipesh's father

and Abhishek's uncle

have been on a hunger

strike for the past two days.

The families have alleged

that their children

have been m*rder*d.

Their only demand was

for a proper investigation.

They didn't have

any other demand.

They didn't ask for

compensation or anything else.

They just wanted justice.

Although the rally

was silent at first,

but as it progressed,

thousands of people joined.

The atmosphere of

the protest changed.

The public also felt that

something should be done about it.

(CROWD CHANTING)

Down with Asaram!

We got the courage

to take it forward.

Whoever has committed the

murders should be punished.

The purpose of

organising this rally

is to awaken the people

of Gujarat and the police.

This is not about

a powerful man,

it's a matter of the deaths

of two young children.

The manner in which the

Vaghelas were protesting,

the kind of support

they got from the people,

one thing was very clear to me.

Somewhere, a spark was

slowly turning into a flame.

I could feel the heat.

(INDISTINCT)

The protest was such that

the administration was shaken

and they were wondering

what to do about it.

(CROWD CLAMORING)

(WHISTLES)

(CROWD CLAMORING)

Fifteen days after the

incident was Guru Purnima.

Guru Purnima is important

because on this day people

who worship their teachers

go and seek their blessings.

There was a lot of

tension in the environment

because Asaram was

going to be present.

-(HORN HONKING)

-(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)

Asaram thought that if he met

Dipesh and Abhishek's fathers,

then the matter would calm down.

Ten to 15 people from the

society were always around me.

They informed me that

Asaram Bapu wants to meet me.

I told them that I

didn't want to meet him.

They said that he has

already reached Akbar Nagar.

Asaram Bapu had come to

meet us just as a formality.

I was sitting on a

cot behind the stage.

Asaram came and called out to me

with folded hands

and an apologetic face.

He said he was really sad

about what had happened.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

He must have been thinking

that even politicians fall flat

at my feet for my blessings,

then why is this

man not doing so?

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

I was holding the Gita in

my hands, as I used to read it.

I had faith in the

power of the Gita.

I told him that God will

ensure justice to you and me.

He just walked away.

Everyone including the media

was expecting Asaram

Bapu to say something.

Children enjoyed

taking a swim there

and they would

often wander that way.

God knows what happened,

I wasn't even present there

and I don't like to

comment on hearsay.

Around 9:00 a.m. I

get a call from outside

asking where I am.

I told them that I was at

the back, where the tent is

and Asaram Bapu is here

and he is sitting on the dais.

I was told to leave

everything and come outside.

There was stone pelting

happening outside.

-(CROWD CLAMORING)

-(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Asaram was

speaking into the mic,

saying that there's stone

pelting happening outside.

People should maintain peace.

People suddenly

appeared from behind him

with sticks in their hands.

When they came

out, I followed them.

(SIREN BLARING)

By then things had become worse.

Many areas were

affected by stone pelting.

Many vehicles were burnt.

The police had entered the area

and they were trying

to control the situation.

We got down from

the car at a crossroad

and that's when I saw

a truck full of people

with sticks in their hands.

If any follower has k*lled

those innocent children,

then I am responsible

for their murders.

I should be hanged first.

I trust my followers.

What do these media channels

think? What are they writing?

Do they think they

can make up any story?

One person suddenly called

out from the crowd and said,

"These media persons are the

ones who ruined Asaram's image.

Beat them all."

-(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

-(CROWD CLAMORING)

They followed us.

They grabbed me by my

hair and pulled me outside.

I told them, "We

are from the media."

They said, "We are beating you

up because you're from the media."

(MUSIC CONTINUES)

The psychological trauma

of the attack was distressing.

At that time, I had just

found out that I was pregnant.

Yes, Rekha.

(INDISTINCT VOICES)

Hello.

Please help me out.

Let's meet.

My family was also

worried about my condition.

Yes, Papa.

I'm hurt in the arm, Papa.

Yes, Papa, Vicky

is right next to me.

What happened to me

traumatised me for 24 hours.

But when I took the

mic in my hand again,

I felt that nothing

had happened to me.

At that time, the adrenaline

rush was something else

and I was determined

that we had to do something

and expose the

truth to everyone.

They are engaging in

hooliganism in the guise of saints.

Whatever we tried to

show, they kept saying,

"Do you want to

show this side of us?

We won't let you do that."

Personally, I felt

that, at the very least,

we should get justice

for the Vaghelas.

After that we

exposed a lot of things.

Asaram began turning

religion into a business,

starting with this

Ashram in Ahmedabad.

He changed from

Asumal to Asaram.

What began as a tiny

hut has now expanded

to over 700 acres of Ashrams.

We conducted interviews

and did everything

that was necessary.

The families of Dipesh and

Abhishek, who live in Nirnay Nagar,

have spoken against you.

It's not my fault if someone

influences somebody

-into saying something.

-I want to know one more thing.

How many questions will you ask?

-Just a more few questions.

-I wasn't even present there.

For the first time Asaram

Bapu was being exposed.

For the first time,

the unmasked picture of Asaram

was getting exposed in the media.

-One last question.

-"Narayan, Narayan, Narayan."

-"Hari Om, Om, Om."

-Which which

"Om Namo Bhagavate

Vasudevaya"

The media was continuously reporting

and focussing only on one issue,

how did Dipesh and

Abhishek get k*lled?

More than two weeks have gone by

since the two 11 year

olds were brutally m*rder*d.

But nothing, not a single

clue has emerged so far

in the investigation.

Keep talking nonsense.

Keep accusing us.

What is Asaram Bapu hiding?

I have requested

the entire Judiciary of

Gujarat and the High Court

that the High Court itself

should appoint a judge

so that there are no flaws,

no cover-ups,

and no shortcuts taken

in the investigation.

And no one in

Gujarat will ever dare

to commit a crime like

this again in the future.

I have complete faith in this.

Ultimately, Narendra Modi,

who was then the

Chief Minister of Gujarat,

he ordered the Trivedi

Commission of Inquiry.

A commission is constituted

under the supervision

of a retired Justice

and the commission's job

is to conduct fact-finding.

So the fact-finding work

was handed over to

the Trivedi Commission.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

A commission is

a fact-finding body.

How the incident has taken place?

Everybody has to apply their mind.

This commission thought

it fit to invite everybody

and take their depositions.

Then there are advocates

representing the Vaghela

brothers, including me.

And Mr. Gupta was

representing Asaram Bapu.

I don't interfere in

anybody's personal life.

Nor do I investigate it.

The only question is, "what

is the prosecution's case

and how to falsify it?"

That is my only function.

Asaram Bapu is in charge

of the entire Ashram.

Those who are

admitted in the Ashram,

those who are

admitted in the school,

they look at the figure Asaram.

He has a responsibility

to look after the children

who are under his care.

I don't think the Ashram

is involved in this incident.

The children are

of a certain age.

We cannot call them adults,

but we can't consider

them as minors too.

We can categorise

them as semi-adults.

I have very high

regards for Mr. Gupta.

He's a very senior lawyer.

He knows the definition of

"adult" and that of "minor".

How can you brand them as adult?

You can't even keep

an animal tied up.

And they were

semi-adult children.

Now, they can go

anywhere they want.

No security guard will watch

over anyone for 24 hours.

There was a response

but there was no

logic in the response.

The record shows

that the ribs were found

cut and parts were missing.

And there was a

corresponding cut in the t-shirt.

This itself would suggest

that the death is not natural.

It's not due to drowning.

They have totally failed

in discharging their duty.

There is negligence

on their part.

This is an accident.

An accident can happen

to anyone, anywhere.

It happened to those children

too and we are saddened by it.

I did some investigation myself

and I found out that

the children were lured

by someone under the

pretext of taking them

to the Jagannath Yatra.

And that person was

a teacher at the school

who had registered

under a false identity.

He was actually a Christian.

He had sought help

from a disciple to

secure a job at the school.

But the school authorities

made the mistake

of not verifying his identity.

If they knew that this is what

was happening in the school,

then why didn't they

file a police report

as soon as the

children went missing?

If that was the case, then

they should've searched for him

accused him of the crime.

So now, we are

accusing Asaram Bapu.

There were many accusations.

The accusation was that

the children were k*lled

so that their genitals could be

used to practise black magic.

When Justice Commission was

formed, they investigated everything.

The main allegation

was black magic

so they started the

investigation in that direction.

First they went to the

Ashram and searched there.

They also met the

disciples in the Ashram.

When the police

interrogated them,

they also felt that black magic

was being practised there.

But these people were

not telling the truth.

They checked everything

to confirm if black magic

was being practised or not.

Black magic was

not being practised.

Why would anyone

practise black magic?

When we are benefitting so

much from chanting prayers,

then why should we

have anything to do

with black magic at all?

This is not us.

The current disciples

weren't saying anything.

But the disciples who

had left the Ashram,

told the Commission that black magic

was being practised in the Ashram

and that they have witnessed it.

(TURNING PAGES)

This is called "Buddhi Stambhit".

(MIND CONTROL CHANT)

If you want to control

someone else's mind,

then one should use this.

"Aakarshan Mantra".

(ATTRACTION INDUCING CHANT)

If you want to attract a

person, man or woman,

make them feel

attracted towards you

then this attraction

chant is to be used.

This chant is for

causing bodily harm.

He has written it himself,

"Tantra Sadhana".

It's an occult practice.

These are the same papers

that Narayan Sai gave me

when I had seen him

engage in occult practices.

He gave me these

papers the very next day.

The Justice Trivedi Commission,

investigating the

deaths of the children

at the Asaram Ashram in Ahmedabad,

has heard from Mahender Chawla

that he has witnessed Narayan

Sai perform black magic.

The papers on occult practices,

handwritten by Narayan Sai,

which he had

given to me himself,

I have submitted those papers

to the Justice Trivedi Commission.

So we decided to

examine Asaram Bapu.

We issued a summons

and called Asaram, but

he refused to participate.

This issue is not an easy issue.

Today if one saint

is being summoned,

tomorrow other courts will also

start summoning other saints.

Then saints will lose

their value in society.

We summoned him again

but he refused again saying,

"If you want then you can come

to my Ashram for my deposition.

I won't come to

your Commission."

On behalf of the Vaghela

brothers, we questioned

why these two witnesses

were given so much time.

If they fail to appear

before the Commission,

we demand that a

warrant be issued for them.

After that he attended

the Commission.

-(WHISTLES)

-(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

He did not come alone. He

came with thousands of people.

He brought a lot

of people there.

An entire road

was blocked for him.

His deposition

started at 10:00 a.m.

and it went on

till 8:30-9:00 p.m.

He came and sat on his chair.

Then he asked me,

"Do I look like a criminal to you?

What do you think about me?"

He started questioning me.

I said, "I didn't say that.

As far as I am concerned,

you are in the court,

you are in the Commission.

And before me, you

are merely a witness.

I don't know your status."

We began first with

the formal questions

and asked about his name,

residence and educational qualifications.

He used to answer

one or two questions

then he would say,

"Wait for 10 minutes, I have

to attend to my followers.

They are waiting to see me."

(CROWD CHANTING)

"I have a lot of followers

who are waiting for

me since morning.

They are hungry, they

haven't eaten anything,"

and you know a hungry

man can do anything."

So it was indirectly a threat.

He insulted the

commission saying,

"We know law and

order better than you."

(CROWD CHANTING)

As far as black magic is

concerned, he refused to talk about it.

He said, "Nobody practises

black magic in my Ashram.

I don't know black magic.

I have never done it.

And I have no

knowledge about it."

Secondly, when this

incident took place,

he was not present

in the Ashram.

So nothing could link

him directly to the incident.

He pleaded innocence.

He did not say much.

The government's strategy

was how to save Asaram

and at the same time

get their work done.

So they appointed the

Trivedi Commission of Inquiry

that would run for a long time,

and would spend a lot

of time in smaller matters.

The Commission that was appointed

in 2008 continued up to 2013.

The Commission is

endless. It never ends.

It is up to the

Commission to end itself.

The inquiry went on

for four to five years.

After that a report was

submitted to the government.

And in the report, Asaram

Bapu was given a clean chit

that black magic was not

performed on the children.

The Commission only showed

the negligence of the Ashram.

But how?

Who did it?

Why did they do it?

These things were

not clear anywhere.

We were exploited

for five years.

Not only did Asaram

Bapu betray us

but the administration

betrayed us as well.

They appointed the Commission

which went on for five years.

And for five years we kept

running from pillar to post.

The Commission is located

around 10 km from our home.

We used to sit there all day.

In fact that added fuel.

Already they had

lost their children

and on top of that they had

to bear all these expenses.

They are not millionaires.

They are ordinary people.

They have suffered a lot.

And ultimately the

end result is zero.

I have worked with families

where the parent has

experienced this serious loss.

I would imagine their feelings

are beyond comprehension.

I don't know if that's something

you can get over very easily.

Why would you get over it?

I think,

that is going to be

carried throughout

the rest of one's life.

The fact remains

that they have died.

"How?" Still a question mark.

Despite everything, nothing

happened to Asaram Bapu.

He became more powerful.

(CROWD CLAMORING)

Nobody had the

courage to say anything,

to lodge any complaint

against Asaram Bapu.

There was widespread fear

surrounding these so-called Godmen.

They are controlling

the politics.

Ultimately who is responsible

for the prosecution? The State is.

(CROWD CLAMORING)

I used to think that

nothing will happen to him.

He will be scot-free.

(POIGNANT MUSIC)

We had been hearing of these stories

through the D.K. Trivedi Commission.

And there was nothing

that Asaram Bapu

was actually being arrested for.

He had already been in

controversy for at least five years.

But Asaram held

substantial amount of clout

in certain constituencies

across the country.

You have these massive

charges in public domain

but where is the

police investigation?

Where is he facing the music?

Suddenly, uh

a girl, a minor, surfaces

in a police station in Delhi,

and claims that she has

been r*ped by Asaram.

(TENSE MUSIC)

No such major complaint

had been made

against a spiritual leader

in this manner,

in public domain,

by one of their own

followers' families.

And when we learn about the

family and how close they were,

and how devout followers

of Asaram they were,

it adds a lot of weightage

to somebody who is

challenging Asaram

and saying that look,

this is what he did.

(RIVETING MUSIC)

My name is Chanchal Mishra.

I was born in a village named

Mahwa in Dausa district in Rajasthan.

The girls there did

not get much exposure.

I felt that the police

services was a field

that did not recruit

a lot of women.

So if I joined the police services,

then I would get a lot of exposure.

After training, my first posting

was ACP West, Jodhpur.

I joined there in the

first week of July.

On 21st August,

I received a call saying

that I have been called

to discuss a

particular police report.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

So a minor girl had

filed a police report.

And the minor girl claimed

that on certain dates in August,

she had come to Asaram Bapu's

Ashram in Jodhpur and met him.

And the incident that

happened with her

was described in

the police report.

I was surprised. I was shocked.

Basically the girl's

accusation was that,

one night Asaram

Bapu called her,

enticed her and then r*ped her.

In Delhi's Kamla

Market Police Station,

a complaint has been

lodged for sexual exploitation.

When the Delhi Police

came to know about this,

considering the

seriousness of the matter,

they immediately

lodged a Zero FIR.

All further proceedings

will be conducted

at the police station

that has jurisdiction

over the crime location.

That's why the Delhi Police

has sent the Zero FIR

to the Jodhpur Police.

During the investigation,

if the allegations

are found to be true

then Asaram could spend

the rest of his life in jail.

We have with us

the Deputy Commissioner of

(JODHPUR) Police, Ajay Pal Lamba.

We are yet to verify

whether the child was

sexually assaulted or not.

The District Commissioner

of Police told me

that I will have to

investigate the case.

So under his guidance,

I conducted the

entire investigation.

(HEROIC MUSIC)

It was her first case.

It was a big investigation

where the whole country

was looking at this case

and perhaps in several

places in the world.

What an investigator does

is what a defence lawyer

is going to tear to shreds.

Everything has to be ironclad.

There can't be any mistakes.

So there you see a Chanchal

Mishra driving behind this case.

The first challenge was that

this police report was against

a prominent personality.

He is a religious figure

and a revered saint.

And his fan following

or his follower base is

not just limited to India,

but globally too.

A police report filed was

against such an influential person.

I have a question that

there is an accusation.

The accusations are being

made since the last six years.

Asaram Bapu has been

in the field since 40 years.

Can't there be a conspiracy

behind this allegation?

Just by looking at

the police report,

I cannot say whether

it is the truth or not.

The first possibility

we had in mind was that

there could be some conspiracy.

(SUSPICIOUS MUSIC)

The prime objective

was to verify

the facts mentioned in

the police report in detail

to ascertain the truth.

A team was formed

and we started our

investigation in that direction.

We went to the state

from where she belonged.

One of our teams went there.

First we checked

if she was lying.

My name is Narendra Yadav.

I work as a senior

reporter in Dainik Jagran.

When this case was happening,

I was working as

a junior reporter.

(TYPING)

I used to cover the case.

The girl's father was the chairman

of an Asaram Ashram committee.

He had a good

reputation in society.

He used to consider his earnings

as the blessings of his Guru.

He believed that it was

because of the Guru's blessings

and not his hard work.

(REPEATEDLY) Hari,

Om, Om, Om. Shakti.

(REPEATEDLY) Hari, Om, Om, Om.

In 2001, I heard his

sermon in Bareilly.

After that I was

influenced by him.

And in 2002, I got

initiated in Ahmedabad.

(PRAYER BELL RINGING)

(RECITING PRAYER)

The whole family, my

husband, our three children and I,

got initiated by Asaram Bapu.

Whatever he said,

we followed that.

We ate what he told us to eat.

We drank what

he told us to drink.

In Madhya Pradesh,

there was a boarding

school run by Asaram Bapu.

The girl and her brother

were admitted there.

Since the parents were connected

with Asaram Bapu, they thought

that by getting them admitted

in the boarding school,

their children's careers

will be successful

and they will be safe.

This girl was studying

in the first year

when she was told that she

has been possessed by a spirit.

She was called to the

Manai Ashram in Jodhpur

where Asaram Bapu was present.

On 2nd or 3rd August,

I felt dizzy in the hostel.

Ms. Shilpi came to know about

it but she didn't call a doctor.

After a day or two,

someone informed me

that Sharad sir had

called me to his office.

When I went there,

along with Sharad sir, Ms. Shilpi

and Bhavya were also present.

All of them said

that I have been

possessed by a spirit.

(OMINOUS MUSIC)

Next day Ms. Shilpi asked me

to inform my parents that I

am unwell and it is serious.

But don't mention the

bit about possession.

They will get scared.

On 6th August, Ms. Shilpi

called on my son's phone.

Shilpi was the warden

of the boarding school.

Shilpi told us to

leave everything

and chant the Maha

Mrityunjay prayer.

We chanted for about an hour.

But when we asked Shilpi

the reason for chanting,

she didn't tell us clearly.

Next day Ms. Shilpi called again

and said that our daughter

Lata is unwell and serious.

And we should come and take her.

When my father met

Sharad sir, he was told

that I have been

possessed by a spirit.

And Bapu has instructed

them to go and meet him

and to not go anywhere else.

Father asked Mr. Shiva

about the Asaram's location.

(TRAIN HORN BLOWING)

Shiva used to live with Bapu.

He told us that Bapu is in Jodhpur

and asked us to come there.

On 14th August, I reached

Jodhpur Railway Station

with my wife and daughter

and received a call from Shiva.

He told the auto rickshaw

driver to take us to Manai village.

So we took an auto

rickshaw and reached Manai.

The Ashram was in a big farm.

(OMINOUS MUSIC)

When we went inside,

there was a house.

Bapu was conducting

a religious gathering

under a Neem tree there.

When we reached there,

Bapu asked our daughter,

"Where have you come from?"

Our daughter told him

that she is coming from the

Chhindwara boarding school.

Upon hearing this, Bapu said,

"Oh, so you are the girl who

has been possessed by a spirit?

Come, let's rid

you of the spirit."

(OMINOUS MUSIC)

I was sitting in the

porch behind the hut.

Bapu called me from the

back door with a gesture.

Then Bapu asked me to go and

check what my parents were doing.

When I came back,

Bapu had turned off

the lights in his room

and was lying on the bed.

(SINISTER MUSIC)

The details mentioned

in the police report,

such as where she studied,

where she lived,

their travel timelines,

when we followed them,

the storyline and her

movements they all matched.

So we came to the

conclusion that it was all true.

On this date, the girl was present

with Asaram Bapu at this place.

There were only two people

who could tell us what

happened in that room.

Either the complainant

or the accused.

We gave them a

chance to tell us the truth

and present their evidence.

I called the Ashram immediately.

No one in the Ashram

was ready to understand.

I told them this

is a serious case.

Go and find out what it is.

It is your responsibility

to prove your innocence.

-It will be done.

-Yes.

But how will you prove it?

Because you are continuously

making contradictory statements.

First he said that he

didn't go to Jodhpur.

Then he said that he went

there but didn't meet the girl.

Then he said he met her

but the rest didn't happen.

You tell me,

-a minor girl who is scared--

-Minor? She was in 12 class--

-Can I ask my question?

-She was in 12 class.

Yes.

She isn't a minor,

she was in 12 class

and is very smart girl.

My followers

(LAUGHS)

Turn the camera there as well.

-Hari, Om, Om, Om.

-Let me tell you that

Turn the camera there as well.

Several followers of

Bapu are present here.

The whole country witnessed

a lot of demonstrations,

protests, processions, marches.

All of these had begun.

We want justice.

We want false accusations

against Bapu to be withdrawn.

I have said this again and again

that the investigation

is still going on.

As and when more facts come in,

we will take them

all into consideration.

He didn't come, so we had to

opt for custodial interrogation,

and arrest is a part of

custodial interrogation.

(FLUTTERING)

We received information

that he is in Indore

and our team will

be leaving for Indore.

It is not possible

that we take 400

people from Rajasthan

and surround the Ashram.

We consulted the Indore

Police and asked for help.

Then we formed a team

consisting of six people.

We knew that if we did anything,

there would be an agitation.

And to ensure

that the agitation

doesn't impact the city,

we had to make deployments.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

After that they made

deployments all around the Ashram.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

If Asaram Bapu

is unable to put forth

anything in his defence,

then Asaram Bapu

will be arrested.

We will support

the investigation.

We have sent a message

for all the followers in India

that they should not worry.

His son Narayan Sai was present.

We asked him to bring

Asaram for the interrogation.

He said, "Okay, please

be seated. I will call him."

We waited for an hour,

two hours, three hours.

We found out that

Asaram was giving

sermons in the Yagya Shala

and there was a crowd of

3000 to 4000 people present.

He was telling the crowd,

"Look, they have come to take me.

Will you let them take me?"

The crowd

responded, "No, never."

You are my courage.

-You are my strength.

-(CROWD CHANTING)

(CROWD CHANTING)

Pressure was mounting.

"The crowd is with me,

how will you take

me away from here?"

In these three hours,

they managed to deploy

followers on all the gates.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

I got a call from an

officer from Indore police

saying that there is only one

gate which is left unattended.

You have only 15 to 20

minutes to get him out of there.

After that even we will

not be able to support you.

So I said, we either

arrest him or get out now.

But we have to get out.

We warned him

that if he does not come out

in the next five to 10 minutes,

we will enter.

But then suddenly, I don't

know what happened to him.

He began chanting, "Hari Om!

Hari Om!" And he came out.

He said, "I am a supporter of

truth and a pioneer of religion.

And you are a worker."

I said, "We have

nothing to do with this.

We just want to

interrogate you."

When we started

asking questions,

the followers started

closing in on us.

They started

coming from all sides.

I still get goosebumps

thinking about it

because I was right

there when it happened.

For them, he was a living

testament of their faith.

No rule was governing

them at that time.

It came to a point

where we had to

forcefully put him in the car.

(POLICE SIRENS BLARING)

Before the crowd could reach

us, we had to get out of the gate.

While on one end we

were putting him in the car,

the crowd was

shouting at the other end.

The crowd was being

controlled by ropes.

In spite of the ropes, the

crowd was throwing things at us.

Finally we put him in the car

and left as fast as we could.

Somehow managing to

make our way through,

we took him to the airport.

(HORN HONKING)

-(HORN HONKING)

-(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(HORN HONKING)

Justice might be delayed

but not denied, if nothing else.

We celebrated with firecrackers

when he was arrested.

Our entire Madhavbaug

area celebrated.

It was 31st August that day and

it was Abhishek's birthday as well.

On the same day,

he was arrested.

On 31st August.

It is very painful.

My heart is sinking.

Asaram Bapu had said,

"A conspiracy is being

plotted to trap me."

He knew this.

He knew this.

Those who put allegations,

put millions of allegations.

But

we accept this as a gift

and hold our heads high.

The complaint had been lodged

but we were wondering

whether any action

will be taken or not.

That was the biggest question.

If you are going

to arrest Asaram,

you need to make sure all the

evidence and proof are rock solid.

The proof must be strong enough

to make sure Asaram

doesn't get out of jail.

(INDISTINCT OVERLAPPING VOICES)

We have interrogated him,

and the preliminary charges

have been found to be true.

Jodhpur Police's team

has reached Delhi

Airport with Asaram Bapu.

The team, along

with Asaram Bapu,

will depart from Delhi for

Jodhpur and arrive around noon.

Thereafter, further

investigation will take place.

You can imprison

Bapu physically,

but the Bapu who

resides in our hearts

can never be taken from us.

And after that,

his followers booked

the entire flight

in which we were

bringing him to Jodhpur.

Almost 80 percent

of the passengers

were his followers.

(ALL CHANTING) Hail

Bapuji! Hail Bapuji! Hail Bapuji!

He is not a man but an animal.

He is not a man but an animal

who does not know

the meaning of religion.

A country where saints are

not respected is a dead one.

(ALL CHANTING)

And during that period, how

was Asaram's behaviour?

He was calm.

It's like when you know what

had to happen has happened

peace.