The conviction of Asaram was a morale booster for the daughters of the country, said the father of the girl who fought the case against the self-styled godman.
The minor girl from Shahajahanpur of Uttar Pradesh had accused Asaram of raping her at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur on the night of August 15, 2013.
‘Got justice’
“The conviction should inspire confidence in women and daughters across the country. They should not tolerate sexual harassment. They should speak up without fear and deal with the predators with all their might,” he told The Hindu outside his house in Shajahanpur, hours after the verdict was delivered by the Jodhpur court.
“I am happy he has been convicted. We have got justice.”
Threat to life
Earlier in the day, he had talked with his face covered to reporters and photographers who jostled to hear him, fearing threat to his life.
A former Asaram disciple himself, who had helped establish the Ashram in Shahjahanpur town, the man had faced immense pressure and threats to his life and the lives of his family.
He highlighted the public shaming of his daughter and character assassination by the disciples of the ‘godman.’ “Many witnesses were killed by Asaram to prevent my daughter getting justice,” he alleged.
“Reporters who wrote about the case were attacked. I hope they get justice too,” said the father.
He said Akhil Gupta, Asaram’s cook, was killed because he became a witness in the case and Narendra Yadav, a reporter, was attacked with swords as he continued to report despite threat to his life.
Heavy security
There was heavy deployment of security personnel around his house because of the strong threat perception.
Similarly, Muzafffarnagar police provided security to the family of Akhil Gupta, who was shot dead in January 2015 allegedly by Asaram’s disciples.
