Asaram unable to sleep in jail

Spiritual guru Asaram Bapu, arrested in a sexual assault case, remained restless and was unable to sleep properly during his two-day stay in a prison in Rajasthan, sources said Thursday.

Asaram, 72, is currently lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail after a court remanded him to 14-days' judicial custody in connection with the alleged sexual assault on a 16-year-old girl at his ashram near Jodhpur.

Sources told IANS that Asaram was kept in a separate room instead of the barrack, and mosquitoes troubled him a lot in the night.

"Asaram Bapu slept on a 'chatai' (mat) in the room. He sprinkled 'Gangajal' (holy water) in the room to purify the surroundings. A few prisoners looked after his needs," the sources said.

Asaram was given milk and dry fruits. When he refused to take the food provided to ordinary prisoners, "dalia" (porridge) was cooked for him, the sources added.

Jail authorities, however, denied that Asaram was being given any special treatment.

"He is being kept as any ordinary prisoner and no special treatment has been given to him," jail officials said.

Asaram, who was arrested from his ashram in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, has sought bail claiming that police erred in booking him under rape charges, which is non-bailable.