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The protest over the mystery deaths of two children near the Asaram Ashram in Ahmedabad spilled over onto the streets in Surat on Thursday, with a one time ardent devotee Babubhai Parmar leading them.
Around 7,000 people from the Gurjjar Kshtriya Kadiya Community took out a demonstration from the Palanpur Patia area in Surat and demanded a fair probe into the mysterious deaths of Dipesh Vaghela (11) and Abhishek Vaghela (10).
Meanwhile in Ahmedabad, a complete bandh has been called by several organisations on Friday even as Asaram Bapu arrived in city on Thursday evening for the Guru Purnima celebrations a day later.
Parmar, a devotee of the ashram for many years, said: “We have requested the state government to conduct free and fair investigations by a high-level team. We want justice. We will continue the agitation.”
Later, the Gurjjar Kshatriya Kadiya community organised a condolence gathering at the community hall near the Merulaxmi temple at Palanpur Patia. Parmar has asked followers to take up the two deaths as a community issue, as the deceased belong to the same community.
Ajit Gohil, vice-president of the community and a mechanical engineer by profession said: "We have no faith in the government investigation agency. Our demand is that the case should be investigated by the CBI, as Asaram Bapu can easily manipulate the state police."
Meenaxi Chotaliya, 40, also from the Gurjjar Kshatriya Kadiya Community said: "I want to advise each and every parent that they should check the antecedents of the religious leaders before sending their minor children to them. I request Chief Minister Narendra Modi to take interest in the matter and deliver justice to the parents of the two minors boys, and also put some restrictions on the sadhus in the state as many criminal activities are taking place in their ashrams.
"Whenever Asaram Bapu visited his Ashram in Jehangirpura, I used to leave my work to hear him. But after the death of those two young boys, I cannot come to terms with his contention that such things are known to happen. A majority of the people from our community are from different parts of Surat and its neighbouring districts, and they have been ardent followers of Asaram Bapu. They have all turned against him now,'' Chotaliya said.
Meanwhile, support is pouring in for Praful Vaghela and Shantilal Vaghela, the fathers of the two boys, who are on an indefinite fast, and have taken a vow of silence till justice is meted out.
A large number of people from across the state are joining them in the fast to express solidarity with the grieving fathers.
Ten members of the Akhil Gujarat Prajapati Sangh are observing a token fast along with Praful and Shantilal in front of the Madhav Baug Society gate. The vice-president of the Sangh, Suryakant Prajapati has come from Mehsana to join the Vaghelas in their fast.
And as protests against Asaram Bapu and his ashram are taking a serious turn, the Vaghelas have started receiving support from various political as well as civil liberty organisations and non-government organisations. They are making efforts to make the call for Ahmedabad bandh successful on Friday, on the occasion of Guru Purnima, when Asaram Bapu is scheduled to come to his ashram in Ahmedabad.
The Vaghelas have printed pamphlets raising a number of issues regarding police investigation and the subsequent events like the public speeches of Asaram Bapu.
They have also expressed suspicion about manipulation of the post-mortem report, which states that the two boys died due to drowning.
Different organisations aligned to the Indian National Congress like the Human Rights Committee, Gujarat Lari-Galla Ladat Samiti and the Roji Bachao Samiti have also announced their support to the agitation of the Vaghelas.
Apart from the Congress, leaders of the Samajwadi Party, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Shivsena have also announced their support for the Vaghelas.
The Gujarat Auto-Rickshaw Drivers' Action Committee announced its support to the call of Ahmedabad Bandh on Friday.
In a press release issued on Thursday, Committee Secretary Ayub Chhipa said that the auto-rickshaw drivers would not ferry any one to the Asaram Ashram to take part in the Guru Purnima celebrations on Friday.
Religious guru Bharti Bapu from Sarkhej area also visited the Vaghelas and pronounced his support for them.
The People's Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL) have also written a letter to the Governor, Nawal Kishore Sharma, and requested him to intervene in the case to make sure that the victims get justice. The PUCL has also demanded that the investigation of the case be handed over to an independent agency.
'support is pouring to vaghela.' alleged guilt is decided on the basis of public support not on the basis of investigations! i don't believe it is express speaking.
first media instigates the violence with false and iased reporting than goes to enjoy the violence. if you instigate a fire don't complain if you get burnt in the process. it is again a lie that violence was done by asram people. why doesn't media get to the truth behind the incident? why doesn't anybody in the media go to the investigating agencies, the police, the doctors who did post mortem, the FSL officials? bapuji has reiterated a few minutes ago that there should be inquiry at the highest level both into the death of children and into violence on friday. whosoever is guilty should be punished. let the press go to government and demand investigation and report the progress of investigation. till that time keep shut rather than spreading rumours.
NOW THIS IS OUR LIABILITY TO FORCED CENTRAL GOVT. FOR INTERFEAR IN THIS CASE CBI INQUIRY MUST BE DONE FOR GETTING TRUE AND FAIR JUSTICE, WE ALL KNOW GUJARAT POLICE DO NOT HAVE CAPACITY OR FAIR INTENTION TO SOLVE THIS CASE.
Before this mob of Asaram Bapu’s thugs attacked the journalists, they should have realised the consequences of their actions and widespread public revulsion they have invited against them by their criminal acts. This coming out with sticks to beat up the journalists who are only doing their jobs shows that these Ashram thugs have something to hide. The murders of two innocent young children not only need to be thoroughly investigated as it seems this unholy sadhu is trying to scuttle the inquiry using his influence but severe police action also needs to be taken against these goons who attacked the journalists. These attacks are aimed at terrorising those demanding proper inquiries in these murders. Let all these goons of this third rate sadhu note that journalists and editors are made of sterner stuff and will not be intimidated by such cowardly criminal acts. Journalists and editors are there to perform a duty of informing the public what they need to know about these murders.
In any other country, people taking sticks or any other weapons in their hands and attacking someone would have the police immediately knocking on their doors to take them away in custody to be interrogated and charged with several offences that have been committed and subsequently the courts putting them behind bars for several years. It is only in India that people get away with murder with uneducated police not doing anything because they do not know which law to apply to which offence and these unholy sadhus using their political clout to scuttle the inquiries into their criminal acts. Let alone the issue of attacks on journalists, I am extremely repulsed by the heinous and utterly despicable acts by these sadhus of taking two innocent lives. What is at stake, however, is far more than the issue of attack on the media professionals. The issue most at stake is our children’s security and our capacity to live without the fear of our lives. The government that cannot provide that security to its people has no right to sit at the helm of the state’s affairs. The murderers of these two young children must be caught and punished and all the sordid happenings at these ashrams must be exposed.
What is the definition of 'Saint' and 'Bapu' ?
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