Indian saint Asaram says he's being defamed internationally, Enquiry sought

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Indian saint Asaram says he's being defamed internationally, Enquiry sought

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Phenomenally influential religious Indian saint Asaram Bapu on Saturday shrugged off charges of occult activities in his commune, saying the allegation was part of an international conspiracy to defame his "pure and totally clean" institutions, even as Canada was added as yet another domain abroad for his religious activities.

Addressing hundreds of thousands of followers at the industrial township of Noida, bordering the Indian capital New Delhi, he claimed that popularity of his works were not to the liking of certain vested interests.

"There is an international conspiracy underway to target my pure and totally clean image, as there are vested interests jealous of the works being done by my devotees. They also feel threatened by the success of the children studying at our educational institutions," he said, adding he was not aware of any occult activity.

Though the entire four decade-long spiritual journey of Asaram has been full of thorns, the mysterious deaths of four children in July at two centres of learning run by him in India have been inviting media ire. Undeterred, people turned in large numbers Saturday to listen to this saint and frequently shouted slogans in his favour. Meanwhile, many have also approached the Government demanding actions against the media for its "biased coverage" of the controversies surrounding Asaram.

Earlier in the day, he told this journalist that all allegations against him were false and frivolous, aimed at hurting his image internationally. He expressed "shock" over the deaths of the children which he said should be enquired properly. Asaram was joined by the father of one of the deceased children, who gave him a clean chit. "Where is the question of Shri Asaramji's involvement in the death of my son?" he wondered, adding: "Shri Asaramji Bapu is innocent, he is our guru. You cannot level such heinous charges at him."

Asaram's spiritual domain is spread across hundreds of centres throughout the world, including the US, with lakhs of his followers likening the 67-year-old saint with God. Just over the weekend, hundreds of thousands of disciples congregated at Brampton in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario in Canada, reposing their faith in the Indian saint.

Kailash Sharma, a big businessman and a disciple associated with the Brampton chapter, said on telephone that his conviction in Asaram has "further solidified" and no one can ever think of any wrong being done in the institutions run by the saint. "Asaramji Bapu is our God," he said.