CNN-IBN SPECIAL INVESTIGATION
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Asaram Ashram accused of land grab, ashram denies
Published on Thu, Sep 18, 2008 at 09:07, Updated on Fri, Sep 19, 2008 at 09:45 in Nation section
Tags: Special Investigation, Asaram Bapu , Motera
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Motera: Asaram Bapu's name is just an addition to a long list of controversial spiritual gurus. Four children were found dead at his ashrams a couple of months ago and though it turned out that a student had killed them, it was bad publicity for the Godman nonetheless.
Now, he is in the news yet again, this time in cases of land-grab. There are allegations that his Asaram Bapu Trust, which runs nearly 300 Ashrams across the country, is involved in cases of land-grabbing.
Ashok Thakore's family owned a five-acre plot in Motera till 2003. They were followers of Asaram Bapu and they allowed other devotees to use the land. But now Thakore alleges they gradually took over.
When he tried to claim the land after his father's death, he was told it was Ashram property.
Thakore said, "Bole tumhare pitaji ne humko daan mein diya hai. Phir hum bole ki aise kaise daan mein diya hai? Hum bade the, umar layak the, toh kaise daan de sakte hain?" ("They said the land had been donated to them by my father. I said how can that be possible. I was old enough at the time my father died, so how could he have donated his property like this?")
Located just 100 metres away from Asaram Bapu's main ashram in Motera, the land is now worth crores of rupees. Thakore has taken the Ashram to court.
If indeed the land was gifted to the Ashram then either the Ashram's name or the Ashram's trust should be registered in the records as either the owners or the co-owners of the land.
However, CNN-IBN's Special Investigation Team found that their names were totally absent from the list, something that certainly raises questions about the Ashram's claims.
The Ashram insists the land is legally theirs.
PRO Asaram Bapu Ashram Motera, Uday Sanghani says, "Of course we have some other documents or else we would not certainly go for such type of cases."
The Sant Asaram Bapu Trust faces land grab charges in over a dozen cases in Gujarat, Delhi and Patna.
Seventy-six-year-old Ratilal Patel says 11 years ago, Ashram security guards took over his two acre plot behind the Ashram in Motera.
He says, "Unke paas saarey hatiyaar rehetein hai, aur apne paas kuch nahin. Jyada se jyada ek ya do lathi. Phir mujhe darr laga aur main wahan se bhaag aaya."
When CNN-IBN's Special Investigation Team accompanied Ratilal to the land, armed Ashram workers gathered around and threatened the team.
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The Trust had been blamed for illegally occupying land in Jehangirpura area of Surat in 1996.
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