Protests outside Asaram Bapu’s Jodhpur ashram
Asaram Bapu, who has been accused of sexually assaulting a teenager, has gone underground, allegedly to evade the police, even as his ashram in Jodhpur in Rajasthan was sealed by the police after his supporters clashed with journalists.
A strong contingent of policemen guarded the gates of the ashram, where the yoga guru's supporters attacked journalists; seven of them were detained by the police.
"Asaram Bapu's supporters snatched our mikes and camera," said a TV journalist who was hit on his head. Another journalist received stitches after he was wounded.
The police, fearing more trouble, cleared out supporters who had been arriving in busloads to the ashram since morning.
The police has been stressing in recent days that it is concerned about violent reactions from his followers as it preps to arrest him.
A Rajasthan police team is in the state to find and question the 75-year-old guru, after he missed yesterday's deadline to meet investigators in Jodhpur.
But Asaram Bapu has been missing since he was last seen on Friday evening at the Bhopal airport in Madhya Pradesh, where his supporters claimed he had missed a flight to Delhi. They then got into a fight with journalists there.
In Uttar Pradesh, the complainant's father has started an indefinite fast demanding the self-styled godman's immediate arrest.
Asaram Bapu has been evading the police for the past few days.
Yesterday, his son said he was unwell and could not travel to Jodhpur for interrogation; before that, his representatives said he was needed in Madhya Pradesh to attend the cremation of a relative. Earlier this week, he kept Rajasthan policemen waiting for seven hours before accepting a summons for his questioning.
Asaram Bapu, who has 400 ashrams across India, was accused by the 16-year-old complainant of forcing himself on her and threatening to kill her and her parents if she reported him.