Asaram Bapu, arrested in a sexual assault case, remained restless and was unable to sleep properly during his two-day stay in a prison in Rajasthan, sources said on Thursday
The 72-year-old is currently lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail after a court remanded him to 14-days’ judicial custody in connection with the alleged sexual assault on a 16-year-old girl at his ashram near Jodhpur.
Illustration/Amit Bandre
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Sources said that Asaram was kept in a separate room instead of the barrack, and mosquitoes troubled him a lot in the night.u00a0“Asaram Bapu slept on a chatai (mat) in the room. He sprinkled Gangajal (holy water) in the room to purify the surroundings. A few prisoners looked after his needs,”the sources said.
Asaram was given milk and dry fruits. When he refused to take the food provided to ordinary prisoners, dalia (porridge) was cooked for him, the sources added. Jail authorities, however, denied that Asaram was being given any special treatment. “He is being kept as any ordinary prisoner and no special treatment has been given to him,” jail officials said.
Bail plea rejected
Meanwhile, a Rajasthan court rejected his bail plea. District and Sessions Judge (Rural) of Jodhpur Manoj Vyas rejectedAsaram’s bail plea after the prosecution opposed his application. Public prosecutor Anand Purohit said, “We raised issues regarding threat to police officials connected with investigations and also that two of his close aides... are still missing, so he (Asaram) should not be given bail, as he can influence them.”
“It seems we have been successful in satisfying the court that the incident falls under the non-bailable (offence) category so he should not be given bail,” he added. Asaram’s lawyer Jagmal Singh Chaudhary said the rejection of bail plea would be challenged in the Rajasthan High Court. “We will approach the high court in a day or two after going through the order,” he said.
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