Asaram, 76, is accused of raping a teen girl at his ashram in Jodhpur in 2013. (File photo)
Highlights
- Asaram, self-declared godman, accused of raping teen in 2013
- He's in Jodhpur jail, son also accused of raping another disciple
- Top Hindu organisation places him on list of 'fake' spiritual leaders
Self-declared religious guru Aaaram Bapu has angrily described himself as a donkey after being denounced as neither a saint nor a preacher by an important association of Hindu saints.
Asaram, 76, is accused of raping a teen girl at his ashram in Jodhpur in 2013. He has been in jail since then. At least seven requests for bail have been turned down.
Yesterday, when he was brought to court for a hearing, a reporter asked him about the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad describing him as a "fake" sadhu. What category did he see himself as a part of, the journalist asked, since he has been dismissed as neither saint nor preacher by the organisation.
"The category of donkeys," the self-styled godman said while climbing the stairs of the trial court, where he appears daily for hearings.
Last weekend, the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, which consists of 14 akharas or groups of
sants (saints) and
sadhus (ascetics), has recently come up with a list of "fake babas" to warn devotees against being misled.The list includes Asaram and his son Narayan Sai, who is in jail in Gujarat, for allegedly repeatedly raping a woman disciple of his father's between 2002 and 2005 at their ashram in Surat.