CBI should probe murder of witness in Asaram case: UP govt

The Uttar Pradesh government recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the murder of prime witness Akhil Gupta in a rape case against self-styled godman Asaram Bapu.

"A CBI probe has been recommended to facilitate investigations into the murder of witness Akhil Gupta," Principal Secretary (Home) Debashis Panda said in Lucknow on Friday.

Thirty-five-year-old Akhil was shot by unknown persons on his way home in Muzaffarnagar in January this year. He was the second witness to be killed in the case after Amrut Prajapati, a former Asaram aide who was shot dead in June last year in Gujarat. Another witness Kripal Singh was killed earlier this month.

Police said Akhil was a cook and personal aide of 74-year-old Asaram, who has been in jail since August, 2013, for allegedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old schoolgirl. Since then, he has been booked, along with his son, for the alleged rape of two sisters in Surat in Gujarat.

Akhil had been questioned by the Gujarat police in 2013 and had reportedly given a statement against the self-styled godman who runs over 400 ashrams across India.

Reports said that to prove that Asaram was guilty, Akhil had even handed over a proof to the police officials. He was shot by unidentified people on January 11 this year. Subsequently, he was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.

Since his murder, Akhil's family members and Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh have been urging the Samajwadi Party government to recommend a CBI probe into the matter, accusing UP police of failing to nab the culprits.

Earlier this month another key witness Kripal Singh was attacked in Shahjahanpur and died in a Bareilly hospital the next day (July 11). He was the ninth witness attacked and the third one to have died.

Kripal had recorded his statement in the rape case in the Jodhpur court two moths ago. After his murder, Kripal's family members had accused Asaram's men of killing him and demanded a thorough investigation.

A few days back, the victim's father had handed over an audio tape in which he alleged Asaram was heard bribing Kripal Singh.

The state government's recommendation for a CBI probe came a day after the rape victim wrote to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav seeking a CBI investigation into the death of three crucial witnesses and attacks on the rest.

Mentioning that Asaram had sexually assaulted her in his ashram in Jodhpur some 23 months back, she wrote, "Since the time he (Asaram) went to jail there have been nine attacks on witnesses in which six of them were seriously injured. Three of the witnesses were killed and many of them changed their statements and turned hostile due to fear of their life and terror of attack."

Talking about "failure" of the police in identifying and arresting accused who were behind fatal attacks on Amrit Prajapati, Kripal Singh and Akhil Gupta, she wrote, "The UP police has not been able to find out who killed the three crucial witnesses in my case. I request you to constitute a CBI probe ... so that the culprits are punished and victims get justice."

Image: Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu has been arrested for sexual assault