Asaram Bapu
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Controversy, sexual assault: September 2013
The Times of India, Jul 12 2015
Mrigank Tiwari
Prime witness in Asaram rape case shot at, dies
Kirpal Singh was shot at n Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Singh is he third witness to have lost his life after the controversy hit the headlines in 2013.
Shahjahanpur superintendent of police Babloo Kumar told TOI, “During investigation, the father of the sexual assault victim, who belongs to this district, had brought the fact to our knowledge that Singh was being threatened by three associates of Asaram.We have filed a case under Section 307 (attempt to murder) at Sadar Bazar police station and the matter is being investigated.“
In his statement recorded before a magistrate before succumbing to his injuries, Singh had said he was being regularly threatened by three associates of Asaram. He had expressed apprehension that they might have been involved in the attack. However, the victim had failed to identify the assailants.
Asaram is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl, a native of Shahjahanpur, in his ashram at Jodhpur in August 2013. It may be recalled that the family of the girl was also attacked twice in Jodhpur during court hearings but were saved on both the occasions by alert security personnel. Another prime witness, Devendra Chawla, was shot at earlier.
In all, there have been nine attempts on the lives of various witnesses in the case since Asaram was lodged in Jodhpur jail in September 2013. While a prosecution witness had in February been stabbed to death in a Jodhpur court premises, another was shot in Muzaffarnagar in January 2015.
