No evidence of black magic practice in Asaram ashram: CID

Gujarat CID (crime), probing the mysterious deaths of two boys studying in Asaram Bapu's ashram in Ahmedabad in July 2008, have told the high court that they have found no evidence of black magic being practiced there.

This was stated in the report submitted by investigating officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police PM Parmar, before Justice AS Dave who was hearing the case yesterday.

The report was filed by CID, in reply to the court's order on petitions by seven sadhaks of the Asaram ashram who have claimed innocence and urged the high court to quash the FIR against them in which they have been charged with culpable homicide.

"Places (in the ashram) were thoroughly searched and photographed as well as videography was done during the visit, but no material suggesting practice of black magic has been found," the report said.

The CID, in its report, said the arrested sadhaks, were found to be telling lies regarding black magic when they were put through the lie detector. It further said that they were the ones who allegedly delayed informing the police about the missing kids.

Decomposed bodies of two teenagers, Dipesh and Abhishek Waghela, studying in the Asaram Bapu ashram in Motera area here were found from the banks of river Sabarmati on July 5, 2008, two days after they were reported missing by the ashram authorities.

In a bulky report, Parmar has described recording of statements of various people during the probe and explained why the sadhaks were made accused in connection with the death of the boys.

The report further said that statements of students and sadhaks in the ashram were recorded in detail, and the police had visited cellars in the ashram — below the sadhaks' office, Annapurna Hall, rooms of Maun Mandir behind the kitchen, cellar of Lilasa Bhavan and Jai Mandir.

There was a huge uproar among the people of the locality where the boys lived. During the two bandh calls given by the citizens, there were number of incidents of violence in different parts of the city.

The government has also constituted a inquiry commission headed by a retired Justice DK Trivedi to probe the deaths and the violence that took place during the bandhs.

Meanwhile, parents of the boys have also filed a plea seeking CBI probe in this case, and Justice AS Dave has kept the case for hearing in last week of April.