Man wanted for murder of Asaram's ex-aide in Rajkot held after 10 years from Karnataka
Rajkot, Jan 10: A man wanted in connection with the murder of self-styled godman Asaram's former associate and Ayurveda doctor Amrut Prajapati at his clinic in Gujarat's Rajkot city has been arrested after more than 10 years, police officials said on Friday.
The accused, Kishor Bodke, was nabbed by the Gujarat police from an ashram in Kalaburagi town in Karnataka, where he had living as a 'sevak' (attendant) after concealing his identity, they said.
Bodke was part of an 11-member gang who had hatched a conspiracy to eliminate witnesses in a bid to weaken the cases of sexual assault filed against the controversial preacher in Gujarat and Rajasthan, said Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime, Parthrajsinh Gohil.
Asaram (86) is currently lodged in a Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan in a rape case.
Prajapati, who had served as Asaram's personal doctor, was shot dead by two assailants at his dispensary in Rajkot in June 2014.
While three persons, including sharp shooter Kartik Haldar (who had opened fire), were already arrested by police for the murder, eight other accused, including Bodke, were absconding after the incident, Gohil told reporters.
The Ayurveda doctor was vocal about Asaram's misdeeds and also became a witness in the rape case filed by one of the two victim sisters in Ahmedabad in 2013.
"Bodke was part of the plan to eliminate those who were either witnesses in the cases against Asaram or speaking against him. While three, including Haldar, were already arrested, Bodke and seven others were absconding. Recently, we learnt Bodke was living at an ashram in Kalaburagi," said the DCP.
A Rajkot police team nabbed Bodke, a native of Maharashtra, from the ashram and brought him here on Friday. The accused had been living as a 'sevak' in the ashram by hiding his identity, Gohil informed.
"A preliminary probe has revealed that apart from the Prajapati case, Bodke was also involved in attacking three other persons who had spoken against Asaram in the past. One case of acid attack was also registered against him in Surat. Now, seven accused are left to be nabbed (in Prajapati murder case). Further probe is being conducted by the CID-Crime," said the police officer.
Following his arrest in 2016 by the Gujarat ATS, Haldar had told officials he had been instructed by other 'sadhaks' (followers) of Asaram to kill witnesses so as to weaken cases against the controversial preacher.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sharad Pawar praised RSS after seeing how it burst fake narrative balloon of LS polls: Fadnavis
Nagpur, Jan 10: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar praised the RSS after realising how the outfit managed to overcome the fake narrative spread by the opposition in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The opposition had claimed BJP wanted to win 400 seats to change the Constitution and end reservations, a narrative which BJP leaders later claimed hit the party hard.
On Pawar praising the RSS recently, the CM said the MVA was successful in creating a fake narrative during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"When assembly polls were approaching, many people from diverse fields who are inspired by the RSS played their role and burst the balloon of this fake narrative. Sharad Pawar saheb is very intelligent. He would have certainly studied this aspect. He realised that this (RSS) is not a regular political power but a nationalist power. In any competition it is good to praise others," he added.
That is why Pawar may have praised the RSS, Fadnavis said.
Speaking at an interaction with senior editor Vivek Ghalsasi at Late Vilasji Fadnis Jivhala programme here, Fadnavis also said he had asked for organisational work when Eknath Shinde was made chief minister in June 2022, but senior leaders asked him to join the government.
He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him not to behave like an extra-constitutional authority in the government.
He said the decision to become deputy chief minister on the command of the party leadership earned him a lot of praise from the cadre.
After the massive mandate the ruling alliance received in the 2024 assembly polls, Fadnavis said people and party workers would not have been happy if the CM was not from the BJP.
Shinde himself agreed within minutes that the CM must be from the BJP, which itself got 132 seats and was close to a majority of its own in the 288-member assembly, he added.
On Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray meeting him during the winter sessions of the legislature in Nagpur, Fadnavis said he had announced he would not indulge in politics of revenge after becoming CM and all leaders responded positively to it.
On chances of the NCP (SP) and NCP coming closer or reuniting, Fadnavis said, "If you see the developments that took place from 2019 to 2024, I realised never say never and anything can happen. Uddhav Thackeray goes to some other party and Ajit Pawar comes to us. In politics anything can happen though I am not saying this should happen."
He praised BJP leader Arun Gujarati from whom he learnt patience, which he claimed was an important quality in politics along with the ability to take criticism.
In a lighter vein, he said, "I only get angry when I am hungry. If you see me angry then give me something to eat and my anger will go away."
