Death of two school-children: Asaram, son get clean chit by commission

Gandhinagar, July 26

The Justice DK Trivedi Commission which probed the death of two children who studied at a residential school run by godman Asaram in July 2008 has given a clean chit to him and his son Narayan Sai.

The commission’s report, submitted to the state government in 2013, was tabled in the Gujarat Assembly on Friday.

The commission, however, held that the two children going missing from the residential school showed “negligence” on the part of the management, which was not “tolerable”.

On July 5, 2008, the decomposed bodies of cousins Dipesh Vaghela (10) and Abhishek Vaghela (11), studying at Asaram’s ‘Gurukul’ (residential school), were found on the bank of the Sabarmati river.

The children had gone missing from the school’s hostel two days earlier. Asaram’s ‘ashram’, which housed the school and hostel, is situated along the riverbank.

“There is no evidence to suggest that in the ashram, Asaram-ji and his son Narayan Sai performed Tantrik Vidhi (black magic rituals),” the report said.

“The management of the gurukul as well as ashram authorities are custodians and guardians of the children who are staying in gurukul hostel and it is their duty to look after the children,” it said.

“From the perusal of the evidence, the commission is of the view that the same is lacking by the management of the gurukul,” the report said.

Parents had alleged that Asaram and his son performed black magic rituals on the two children, which resulted in their deaths. — PTI