(PENSIVE MUSIC)
Asaram said, "We know the
law and order better than you."
How did Dipesh and
Abhishek get m*rder*d?
These things were unclear.
Asaram was given a clean chit
in the Trivedi Commission report.
Suddenly a minor claims that
she has been r*ped by Asaram.
He is a revered saint,
we arrested such
an influential person.
Asaram's son believes that
he is Lord Krishna incarnate.
I saw my Guru with a woman
in a compromising situation,
I could've never imagined
that something so
disgusting could happen.
The only way we survive as a
society is through the rule of law.
There seems to have been
no regard for the rule of law
inside the cult and
inside the Ashram.
(RIVETING MUSIC)
In "The Ramayana," Manthara
played so many games
in order to stop Lord Rama
from becoming the king.
And who did she wish to
see sitting on the throne?
Bharat.
But who ended up
sitting on the throne?
Lord Rama's sandals.
If Lord Rama's sandals
can rule for 14 years,
then Asaram Bapu being
an enlightened individual,
can also do the same.
We have nothing to fear.
When every place has
the presence of God,
then what's there
to worry about?
Today when I look at Bapu,
despite all that has happened,
he has no fear.
Bapu has a great amount
of support from the masses.
(CROWD CHANTING)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
I have more faith in Bapu
than my parents and God.
I will not believe these accusations
until I see it with my own eyes.
Have the charges
been proven yet?
If not, then why
are you doing this?
I am what I am because
of Bapu's blessing.
(CROWD CHANTING)
Long live Asaram Bapu!
During the investigation, we
received unknown messages,
unknown letters every day
stating that similar incidents
happened to them too.
We faced the same trauma.
We could sense that
there was something wrong.
And it had been going
on for a long time.
Then we get the
case of the two sisters
who were both r*ped separately
by the father and the son.
Both the sisters felt
that if a 16-year-old girl from
Jodhpur can fight for justice,
then they could do the
same for themselves.
Narayan Sai has been
missing since the past four days.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
Whatever Narayan Sai has learnt,
he has learnt it
all from his father.
Whatever happens now,
time will fix everything.
(CROWD CLAMORING)
(POLICE SIRENS BLARING)
Both father and son,
they're very vindictive
kind of people.
If somebody leaves their side,
somebody who's close to
them, they won't forgive them.
Asaram had threatened me
that if I told anyone
about the incident,
then he would k*ll my parents.
(POLICE SIRENS BLARING)
We cannot protect the
religion we are born into
but Asaram Bapu
has been risking his life
to protect the same religion
and yet we cannot respect him?
Such people don't
deserve to live!
My life has been ruined.
To make sure no one
else meets the same fate,
I had to step up.
If we had made any mistake,
our entire case would
have been sabotaged.
But imagine having to do
your job in these circumstances.
There are murderous
followers who are tracking you.
Do not try to provoke
me, I am warning you.
The court will decide
how the rest of
Asaram's life will play out.
What will happen to Asaram?
(THEME SONG)
(MUSIC FADES)
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(POIGNANT MUSIC)
The whole country was
shaken and shocked
by the violent g*ng r*pe and
m*rder of a 23 year old in Delhi.
In an effort to make
the city safer for women,
thousands of people
marched in Delhi today.
In December 2012,
a young woman was
r*ped by multiple people.
(POLICE SIRENS BLARING)
We all know it as Nirbhaya.
(DAMINI - PSEUDONYM FOR VICTIM)
In the seven to eight
months that followed,
there were a lot of
events, conferences,
protest movements,
that led to the amendment of
r*pe and sexual as*ault laws
in the country.
Irony is that Asaram had made
one of those very controversial
and crooked comments
about what the survivor
should have done.
Had that girl undertaken
the "Saraswati Mantra"
or "Guru Diksha,"
she wouldn't have
boarded a random bus
after a movie night
with her boyfriend.
Even if she had boarded the
bus, there were six drunkards,
she should've prayed to
God, held one of their hands
and told him, "You're
like my brother."
And told the other, "I'm
helpless, you are my brother,
a brother by religion."
This way she
could've saved herself.
A mistake is never one-sided.
The charges against Asaram
happens right at the f*g end of that.
(CROWD CLAMORING)
(RIVETING MUSIC)
The law had changed
which also included the kind
of act that he had committed.
The person who had filed
the complaint against him
was a minor.
So that put Asaram into
the law called POCSO
which is the Protection of
Children from Sexual Offences Act.
After the Nirbhaya case,
there was a drastic change
in such investigations.
Actions against r*pe and r*pe
involving minors became stricter.
There were stringent
laws in place.
Serious charges
have been registered
in a charge sheet
of about 1115 pages.
I called my crime reporter.
I told him to go to
the police station
and get a copy of the police
report against Asaram Bapu.
Let's see what sections
he has been charged with.
He said, "Ms. Neelam, you
will have to work very hard."
"They are still
framing the charges,
in a manner that will
keep Bapu in jail forever."
As soon as Asaram came to know
that there was a r*pe complaint,
he started following
all the legal precedents
and procedures.
He lined up an army of lawyers.
Following the directions
of the Supreme Court
and the High Court,
the daily hearings began.
(MUSIC FADES)
In January 2014, the
victim's family approached me.
They came to know from somewhere
that I am the person
who has knowledge
of this particular subject.
I told them to stick to their
truth and narrate it with honesty.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
I wanted to go through
all the case details.
What investigation
has been done?
What evidence
did the police collect
during the course
of the investigation?
Did they miss any
important piece of evidence?
After reading everything,
we immediately came to know
that he has filed a bail application
before the Honourable High Court.
At that time I appeared in the
High Court to represent the victim.
After Asaram's bail plea
was rejected in the lower court,
he appealed in the High Court.
For his bail hearing,
Asaram hired the famous
Ram Jethmalani as his lawyer.
I was a big fan of Ram
Jethmalani. I still am.
I was aware that he is
a very renowned lawyer
and I was relatively new.
He presented his arguments
and he argued very nicely.
His first argument was that
there is no element of penetration.
The hymen isn't ruptured.
The hymen isn't torn.
There is no evidence of
insertion or penetration.
Therefore this is not r*pe.
So the moment he
concluded his arguments,
I just made a request
to the Honourable Court.
The arguments that
he has raised legally,
I would just like
to counter them.
So I told the court
that the definition
of the term r*pe,
as contemplated under Section
375 of the Indian Penal Code,
has changed.
We said that now penetration
and insertion is not necessary.
If you touch the
private part of the child,
it amounts to r*pe.
The girl has
categorically alleged
that he has touched
her private parts.
After hearing all this,
ultimately the court passed a
very detailed reasoned order
and dismissed the bail
application filed by Asaram.
I am only telling you one thing,
after the public
prosecutor's arguments,
we want to file more evidence.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Asaram, are you
accepting the charges?
You are being
accused of many crimes.
I am 210 percent sure
that these charges are
completely fabricated.
Yesterday Asaram was
escorted through this door.
The jail officer said
that Asaram ate five
flatbreads and curry today.
Asaram Bapu doesn't drink
tea and you only get tea in jail.
The state government has not
given any supplement for this,
that if you don't drink tea,
you will get a nutritional drink.
-(LAUGHS)
-(PHONE RINGING)
Asaram's devotees have been
chanting slogans everywhere.
Release Asaram Bapu!
Release Asaram Bapu!
They have been crying.
Asaram Bapu doesn't
belong only to me,
Bapu belongs to
the populace as well.
He has worked for the
betterment of our country.
I am here for Asaram. I
am ready to go to jail for him.
I have no fear. Wherever
he goes, I will follow.
(CHANTING) Asaram is
innocent! Asaram is innocent!
We can't profile followers.
What we can
profile is the leader.
They all look remarkably similar
because they fit the
profile of a psychopath.
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
At the time, Asaram was
surrounded by questions.
People knew that
something was wrong.
And then this case came.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
I met Asaram in 2001,
and I stayed there in
the Ashram till 2005.
What happened with you?
Sir, I have given all the
details in the police report.
-I don't want to repeat it.
-We want to hear it from you.
There were two sisters.
The elder sister
accused Asaram of r*pe
and the younger sister
accused Narayan Sai of r*pe.
And the police
showed willingness
to investigate a case
from eight years ago.
And they kept putting
together all the clues.
The police also agreed,
that it had happened.
There are so many things
that people have to deal with
when they get out of a cult.
They may have witnessed
terrible things happening,
abuse of others.
They may have themselves
been told to abuse others.
You have the fear of "Is the
cult gonna come after you?"
You have a fear of "How
are you gonna cope with life?"
And you also just carry the fear
that's been kind of put
into you all those years.
All those years of stress
and worry and fear of abuse
that it takes a while to
get that out of your system.
The victim has said
that it was in 2001,
in this very farmhouse
named Shanti Vatika,
that she was r*ped.
The girl from Surat
who accused him,
had mentioned this
incident in her police report.
I was neither surprised
nor did I think it was a lie.
Asaram and Narayan Sai
used to say in their sermons,
that women are
the gateway to hell.
Even though they said that
women are the gateway to hell
they didn't follow
it themselves.
There used to be a
queue in front of the dais.
Asaram or Narayan Sai
used to throw sacred food.
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
If he pointed the
torch at a specific girl,
it meant that the
girl was chosen.
That girl was then escorted
to Asaram or Narayan Sai's hut
for their pleasure.
Now, the women who worked
for Asaram or Narayan Sai,
had a duty to persuade
and groom these girls
and get them ready.
(PENSIVE MUSIC)
The girls were
manipulated into believing
that they are blessed to be
chosen to have sex with God.
These are just two
girls who spoke up
but there might
be many more girls
who still believe that their God
has been wrongly imprisoned.
(CROWD CLAMORING)
Now, that Asaram is
in jail, fearing his arrest,
Narayan Sai has been
missing since the past four days.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
This picture is from
28th September 2013,
when Narayan Sai was
last seen in Chandigarh.
Since 7th October 2013,
Narayan Sai has become a
puzzle for the Surat Police to solve.
We have just received a
public notice from the court,
in which he has been
declared a fugitive.
Surat Police raided Rajasthan,
Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi
and dozens of other locations.
If Narayan Sai is not caught
by 10th December 2013,
then the police will have
the right to seize his property.
Keep this covered
and move aside.
(IMPERCEPTIBLE)
The Surat Police team, who
came in search of Narayan Sai,
thought that he
could be hiding here.
Narayan Sai was not found
but instead several property
documents were recovered.
According to the
police investigation here,
it could be worth millions.
Many such significant evidences
and documents have been obtained.
During a raid in Surat,
the police found 42
sacks full of documents.
The documents were actually
to refer to the amount of cash
which was being
collected as donations.
And why it is important
is because these donations
were never booked.
And that gave an idea
of how much of the
money was given out
to real estate
agents, to businesses.
Some of the money
which was given out
to this group of people
who seemed to be influential.
Which gives us our first glimpse
into a cultic empire of this nature.
Narayan Sai, who is accused of
r*pe, once again escaped the police.
Surat Police has not been
able to find Narayan Sai yet.
Surat Police has put up
posters all over the city.
A reward of INR 500,000
(6000 USD) has been announced
for anyone who can provide
information about him.
Narayan Sai was
absconding for a long time.
His mode of travel was by road.
It was not possible for
him to go by train or flight.
He was traced because
of his mode of travel.
And according to the police,
it was a human source,
not a technical source.
Information has come in
that he could be travelling
via National Highway
Number 1 towards Delhi.
Basis this, the Delhi
Police Crime Branch
has alerted all its teams.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
Also there is information
that a Ford EcoSport,
which could be
silver or grey in colour,
would leave for Delhi.
Finally there was information
that the same vehicle
had left Ambala.
On 3rd December 2013,
Narayan Sai was
nabbed near Kurukshetra.
What do you have to say about
Narayan Sai getting arrested?
All the girls in the
Ashram know about him
but nobody has the courage
to raise their voice against him.
The father-son duo had
created a fearsome environment.
We feared for
our parents' lives.
We always thought
about what could be done.
Should we take our own lives or
go back home and live with shame?
When the two sisters from
Surat filed a police report,
their parents were against them.
Because they were in denial
about their Guru being
accused in this manner.
It's criminal, really.
This is one of the ways that
cults, I think, are so vicious and evil:
is how they destroy families
and destroy the trusting
bonds with families.
Because you become shunned,
you know, the cult tells the family
not to have contact unless
that person comes back.
You left the Ashram in 2005.
After more than seven years
you have shown
courage to tell the world
about Narayan Sai's reality
and reach out to the police.
How did you gather the courage?
I didn't have the courage before
and that's why out of fear
we didn't do anything until now.
But when the Jodhpur case
came out, when he was arrested,
and when the High
Court denied him bail,
that's when we felt
that the public is aware,
and the police will be
supportive, and we will be safe.
That's when we felt
courageous and came forward.
They believed that if they
had spoken up back then,
they could have been k*lled
and their bodies would have
been disposed somewhere.
But it was like his
cup of sin was full.
A 16-year-old girl
had the courage
to file a sexual as*ault
case against Asaram.
When you are a victim,
there is hope that
you will get justice.
(RIVETING MUSIC)
Indian legal system is quite
slow, processes are cumbersome
but POCSO is
supposed to be faster.
Technically this case should
have gotten over in a year
but it took much longer.
It took nearly five years.
The police had
filed the complaint.
The survivor was a minor girl
who had been sexually harassed
but the biggest question
was whether appropriate action
will be taken or not.
At the time of
framing of charge,
one particular document was
filed on behalf of the accused.
You may pass a new law
or do whatever you want
but this girl who has changed
her identity is not a minor.
-Major--
-Yes, she is a major.
When this document was filed,
there was a cross-examination.
And when that document was
shown to the parents of the victim,
then they said, "No, we have
never given this document."
(STAMMERING)
They started producing
false documents.
They also produced other
documents related to her age.
If we had made any mistake,
our entire case would
have been sabotaged.
They even brought certificates
of an old school saying
these are from when this
girl was in primary school,
her brother is older than
her, she is younger than him.
If her brother is so
much older than her,
then she is younger than
him so she is not a minor.
Asaram Bapu will be
free without a doubt,
no power can stop him.
There is a conspiracy
against him.
There is no case against him,
he has been wrongfully accused.
The rules of the Juvenile
Justice Act are clear.
The certificate of class 10th
is the ultimate proof of age
when compared to
the birth certificate.
So instead of the
birth certificate,
we fought basis the date
mentioned in the class 10 mark sheet.
Because that was
the legal mandate.
(HORN HONKING)
We request all the
women standing at the gate
to leave immediately.
Clearly this is a conspiracy.
There is nothing else.
If there is a vicious
conspiracy against a person,
they will use whatever
option is available to them
to save their life.
(POLICE SIRENS BLARING)
After that the evidence starts.
They did their cross-examination.
An accused has this right.
(CROWD CLAMORING)
They filed a list of
witnesses in the court.
We want to examine these
witnesses in support of the defence.
It is often seen in the court
that people tend to
influence the witnesses.
Some people settle with money.
Some people employ other resources
and they manage to suppress them.
So I understood
that this would create
a lot of problems.
The Jodhpur survivor's
statement held immense value
because it ensured that
Asaram wouldn't get out of jail.
Asaram had threatened me
that if I told anyone
about the incident,
then he would k*ll my parents.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
We can't trust anyone now.
Asaram's men are constantly
trying to break me, to harass me.
I was sitting in my
shop in the afternoon.
A man called me
and he asked me to
apologise to Asaram Bapu.
I said, "Why
should I apologise?"
He said, "If you don't
apologise, you will be k*lled,
along with the
rest of your family."
When I came to know about this,
the news shook me to my core.
So I decided that I'll
help this girl get justice.
On one hand, there
was a great saint.
He had such a big empire.
And I only had my pen.
(RIVETING MUSIC)
At that time I
had only one goal,
to expose his filth and
lay it bare to the society.
During that time I had a
total of 287 articles published.
Gradually as I started
publishing more,
Asaram's people
started tracking me.
I was in my office. It
was around 10:30 p.m.
As soon as I left my office,
I saw two people
waiting on a bike.
One of them pounced on me.
He came and attacked
me from behind.
And the first thing he did
was slash me at the chin.
Luckily, I survived, but
had the knife shifted slightly,
I would have died.
(MUSIC INTENSIFIES)
(CROWD SHOUTING)
There were some followers of
Asaram who had charges against them.
I mean, what the cops
will call history sheeters.
They were encouraged
to participate
in a lot of criminal
activities for Asaram.
In a cult,
people end up being what
we call "deployable agents."
And that means, the leader
can tell them to do things
that they would not normally
do outside of that environment.
After I testified in court,
I was sitting in my
room one morning.
I heard footsteps
and saw two boys approaching.
One of them had
a g*n in his hand
which he placed
near my face and fired.
(g*n FIRE)
-(FLUTTERING)
-(HIGH-PITCHED RINGING)
Thankfully by the grace of God,
the g*n slipped from his hands
and came into mine like this.
And I pushed him away.
As the g*n recoiled,
his hold on my neck became
weak and I fell to the ground.
He said, "How dare you
testify against Asaram?"
Before I could get up and run
away or even defend myself,
he fired again.
That b*llet hit
my left shoulder.
(AMBULANCE SIRENS BLARING)
The villagers then
rushed me to the hospital.
"A disciple's good fortune lies in
following the Guru's command."
The attackers got their Guru's
orders and followed them.
But one thing was certain,
I was attacked because my
testimony had some merit.
And that's why they
were trying to k*ll me.
If I wasn't saying
anything substantial,
then why would they attack me?
Asaram your followers
have started k*lling witnesses.
This is all nonsense. Our
followers won't harm people.
Our followers won't do this.
Don't insult us with
such false accusations.
What is the reason
behind these attacks?
Our followers will
never attack people.
I don't know.
But my followers
will never do this.
(CROWD CLAMORING)
Followers are able
to obey orders to k*ll
with the idea that this
is for the greater good.
Then of course there
was Kartik Haldar.
The man who allegedly went around
k*lling witnesses in Asaram's cases.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
That's when the murderousness
of his followers really came out.
We, the followers of Asaram
Bapu, are present in large numbers
and we will not let
this pass quietly.
Very rarely we come across such
cases where multiple witnesses
are attacked in
relation to a single case
during the course of the trial.
Because of this case,
my son was not
with me for six years.
He was staying at home
while I was working in Jodhpur.
Random fanatics would come
and tell me that we will all die.
We will die now or
later, no matter what.
Between the arrest
and the attacks,
a lot of people came
out and spoke up.
But after the
attacks, they stopped.
At every step, we
were facing obstacles.
Their strategy was to prolong
this as much as possible.
Push us to the brink, to see
how much we could endure.
It is very difficult to face
such a long challenge.
It's very difficult.
A person struggles every
second they have to wait.
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
At her age, she should be
focusing on her studies and her future
but she can't even
step out of her house.
The more I think about
it, the more I hate myself.
I get angry.
I keep remembering the
events again and again.
They were terrified.
They were also worried
about their allegations
being proven false.
Especially when they live
in a world run by religion,
they worried
about their survival
if they were accused of
conspiring against their Guru.
Nobody can.
If I was facing such issues,
it must be harder for them.
They don't have anything to do
with legal proceedings
or police investigation.
They are simple people.
(SAD MUSIC)
It was very
difficult for that girl.
She used to break down,
she used to get worried.
People stopped
socialising with them.
He had to sell off his
trucks, to make ends meet.
He had no money
left to fight the case.
In a way, he was
financially drained.
He thought that if he is
going to lose everything,
then who is he even fighting
for if he loses his daughter?
So he thought that he should
escape with his family overnight,
to save his family
and their honour.
When he told the girl
that there is a chance
to escape this situation,
she said that no matter
what happens she will fight,
even if she has to fight alone.
When the girl refused to shy
away, the father was in tears.
He pledged to keep fighting
without being afraid of anything.
(DETERMINED MUSIC)
When you decide
to put up a fight,
you decide to
bring out the truth.
And we are not liars.
We will fight against injustice.
We will fight and we
will fight till the end.
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
They were pressurised.
Attempts were made to k*ll them.
Attempts were made to
k*ll their family members.
But they were
determined to seek justice.
This girl, she has the
courage to actually stand up
and to question what
this man has done to her
under the pretext of
being their spiritual Guru.
It's definitely something
quite outstanding.
(POLICE SIRENS BLARING)
When we felt that there were a
lot of attacks on the witnesses,
it was getting
tough to visit courts,
we realised that this could
harm our entire process.
So we filed a special
application in the High Court
and sought permission
to conduct a hearing in jail.
(POLICE SIRENS BLARING)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
(HORN HONKS)
Now, whatever God wills,
God will get the innocent justice.
What else is there?
The Jodhpur Special
Court will decide
how the rest of
Asaram's life will play out.
What will happen to Asaram?
The verdict will be
announced on 25th April 2018.
You see people distinguish
between what's spiritual leadership
and just a conman leading people
who are looking for
some kind of relief.
(RIVETING MUSIC)
If they are found guilty,
they will face a minimum
of 20 years of imprisonment
and a maximum
of life imprisonment.
We were excited
to see this evil man,
who pretends to be
harmless, who cons people,
who has tarnished the
religious community,
who has k*lled our faith, that
God will finally punish him.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
Asaram Bapu would
tell us during sermons
that if he is lying then all our
spiritual practice would be futile.
But he cannot lie, Bapu
is like Raja Harishchandra.
(SINGING PRAYERS)
To free Asaram from jail,
followers are chanting prayers
in Ashrams across the country.
Followers believe that
the power of their prayers
will help Asaram
get out of jail.
(SINGING CONTINUES)
Asaram's supporters
claim to maintain peace
on the day of the verdict,
but the Rajasthan
Police suspects
that law and order will be
hampered on the day of the verdict.
(POLICE SIRENS BLARING)
Therefore Section 144 has
been imposed in Jodhpur
from 21st April 2018.
Section 144 was implemented
from 21st April 2018
and will remain in force until
5:00 p.m. on the 30th April 2018.
The police have strengthened
the security in Jodhpur.
(SINISTER MUSIC)
I arrived in Jodhpur
before the judgement.
I remember there
was a terrible storm.
There were dust clouds
which were, I think, miles high.
(WIND GUSTING)
I was very worried and restless
wondering what to do,
should I just sit and pray.
At times I felt I should chant
the prayer I got from Bapu,
but somehow I
couldn't say the prayer.
I tried, but I couldn't
finish the prayer.
I was up all night.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
I didn't sleep
at all that night.
And finally at 6:00 a.m.
I packed my things
and left for the court.
The verdict on Asaram's r*pe
case is set to come out today.
Whatever the verdict is, it
will be positive for everyone.
Nature is never negative.
Asaram Bapu has told us
one thing in his sermons,
"With faith in Ram,
Tulsi sleeps without fear.
You cannot worry about
the bad or the good,
whatever has to
happen will happen."
(HORN HONKING)
All of us were standing
outside the prison gates.
So whatever was happening
was between the press
and anybody who was
getting in and out of court.
Some people gave
statements. Some didn't.
Suddenly, uh
TV media just
went into a frenzy.
We've got the verdict.
We've got the verdict
What's the verdict?
The verdict is out. What is it?
At around 4:00 or 4:30
p.m. the verdict was out.
And that verdict--
Now, all the journalists
are sitting in front of me.
How would I know
what the verdict was?
I was not in touch
with the Ashram.
The legal team of the Ashram
was operating from there.
I was not in touch with them.
My phone was kept on the side.
(INDISTINCT OVERLAPPING VOICES)
Millions of followers
were listening to me
because I'm a
member of the Ashram.
What the Ashram had to say
was more important for them.
They didn't trust what
the channel had to say.
-Madam, all convicted.
-Madam, all convicted.
Suddenly someone
from some channel says,
"Everyone is convicted."
I was like how can
that be possible?
(OFF-KEY MUSIC)
A couple of days ago, I
had spoken to Asaram Bapu.
And I was aware that
there would be a conviction.
But I didn't know it
would be so serious.
The survivor's father called me.
When I told him that
the verdict was out,
he only said one
thing: "God bless you."
(INDISTINCT OVERLAPPING VOICES)
Concluding the r*pe
case against Asaram.
He has been sentenced
to imprisonment
till his last breath.
He was sentenced
to life imprisonment
till the last breath
of natural life.
Till the last breath
of natural life.
It was a historic judgement
in the history of this country.
Such a judgement was delivered
for the first time by the court.
Seventy seven-year-old Asaram
will remain in jail
for the rest of his life.
(CROWD CLAMORING)
Asaram, would you like to
say something to the media?
Would you like to say
something, Asaram?
Would you like to say
something, Asaram?
This is too much trouble.
What kind of t*rture is this?
In Asaram's case, it was evident
that there would be a conviction,
but there were some
doubts about Narayan Sai
as it was a 11 to
12 year-old case.
(RIVETING MUSIC)
But eventually the
conviction came.
The verdict for the Surat case
against Asaram came out in 2023.
At that time also we were
hopeful that he would be convicted.
And Asaram was convicted
in that case eventually.
When the verdict came,
we were very happy.
(LAUGHS)
The girl had struggled so much,
worked so hard,
she ultimately got justice.
We were fortunate
to get a strong victim
who stuck to the truth.
And the girl was lucky that
she had a chain of officers
who were dedicated to
keeping the investigation
as close to the
truth as possible.
Even now, when anyone
meets me for the first time
and they ask me my name
and I say that I am Chanchal,
they go, "Oh, the one who
investigated Asaram's case."
So this has become my identity.
It is great news that
the girl got justice
but our children are still
waiting, hoping to get justice.
Asaram's truth
was finally exposed.
He was not a saint.
He was the devil.
The fight we had
picked against him,
we got some sense of justice.
Better late than never.
(POIGNANT MUSIC)
From sleeping on a bed of flowers,
he is now sleeping on the ground.
It's a punishment,
a big punishment.
And as long as he
lives, he will be punished.
Because he has to face the
consequences for all his deeds.
The souls of Dipesh and
Abhishek took birth in our house
to unearth a
fraudster like Asaram.
They endured wounds and
gave us a few wounds too
but at the same time
they gave us courage too.
Nature takes care of everything.
Like how Dipesh and Abhishek
were a medium for
fate to complete its work,
there will always be
someone to ensure
nature doesn't stop its work.
It makes the right
decisions at the right time.
Asaram's clout with the politicians,
the government, the administration,
made me feel that his
arrest was impossible.
That the police report
would also be cancelled.
That's what I felt.
But this is God's grace.
(TRIUMPHANT MUSIC)
Just like in the w*r
of "The Mahabharata,"
Shikhandi sacrificed his life,
Abhimanyu was also sacrificed,
similarly, this was
also a crusade
where every warrior
performed their duty.
And look at God's grace,
he was arrested
and sentenced to life
imprisonment twice.
(PENSIVE MUSIC)
(CROWD CLAMORING)
As soon as Asaram was
sentenced to life imprisonment,
all the followers who
were inside the Ashram,
all of them started coming out.
Tell us what you think about
him being declared guilty?
Our Asaram Bapu is innocent.
This is what we believe.
The court has found him guilty.
I will not believe it.
Our Bapu is innocent.
What do you have to tell us?
You are a liar
and so is the court.
The followers who have
come out of the Ashram,
they are repeatedly saying that
even though the verdict is out,
they are not ready to accept
that Asaram Bapu is guilty.
With camera person Ujjval Oza,
Gopi Ghanghar, Ahmedabad, Aaj Tak.
(SOMBER MUSIC)
When Asaram Bapu was jailed,
the court was brutal,
the media was brutal.
And eventually
what was the result?
Not a single Ashram has shut
down. Our services didn't stop.
(MUSIC INTENSIFIES)
On the first full moon
day, people visited the jail,
worshipped the jail, and
bowed their heads at the jail.
It's been more than 48 hours.
No one has put a single drop
of food or water in their mouth.
There is only one demand.
We are not saying anything.
We just want to see Asaram Bapu.
Followers were
sitting outside the jail.
The police thought
if they baton charged
then they might flee.
Some fled, some broke down
and the rest kept coming back.
"The light keeps shining bright
at Asaram Bapu's court.
The light keeps shining bright
at Asaram Bapu's court."
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
Even after going to jail,
Asaram Bapu knows what's
happening around the world.
That means Bapu is divine.
Though it is all
about the leader,
it is also the structure
with these rituals,
with these ways of doing
things and that can carry on.
The taint is not so
much on the saint
as much as it is
on his followers.
Unfortunately, there
are a lot of people
who continue to
live in the Ashrams.
(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)
There is need for rehabilitation
of all the people
who are stuck there.
(MUSIC CONTINUES)
There has to be
empathy to understand
why they followed and
what are the circumstances
since this has happened.
Even after Asaram's
imprisonment,
if they still continue
to be his followers
then it is because
of their extreme faith.
I bow to their faith.
But they should
question in order to figure
what is the truth
and what is a lie.
If Arjun didn't ask questions,
then "The Gita" wouldn't
have been written.
If Lord Krishna had said,
"Arjun, just listen
to what I'm saying,
don't ask questions",
then "The Bhagavad Gita"
wouldn't have been written.
What is the most
important thing in life?
It is rationality,
wisdom and reason.
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01x03 - People v. Asaram
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Uncover the alleged crimes, deceit, violence and manipulations of a once-revered spiritual leader, Asaram.
Uncover the alleged crimes, deceit, violence and manipulations of a once-revered spiritual leader, Asaram.