Death of two students near Asaram Ashram: panel submits report

After a five-year inquiry into the death of two cousins studying at Asaram Ashram here, Justice D K Trivedi Commission today submitted its final report to the state government on the incident.
"We have forwarded the final report to the Home Department in a sealed cover," Commission official I T Sharma told PTI.
He refused to divulge any information on whether the Commission has given a clean chit to Asaram and his son Narayan Sai. Parents of the two students had alleged the spiritual leader and his son had performed 'black magic' on their wards, which resulted in their death.

On July 5, 2008, decomposed bodies of Dipesh Vaghela (10) and Abhishek Vaghela (11), who were studying at Asaram's Gurukul, were found in mysterious circumstances on the banks of Sabarmati River, behind the Asaram Ashram here.
Following a violent agitation on the issue, the state government had in July 2008 set up the probe panel with retired Gujarat High Court Judge D K Trivedi as its chairman.
Simultaneously, the case is being investigated by CID. The Commission was supposed to submit the report in 3 months but its term was extended eight times. Last month, the government had yet again extended its term till today.

CID had in 2009 registered a case against seven followers of Asaram Bapu in the case under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of IPC. The latter moved the High Court which directed CID to book them under section 304(A) (causing death by negligence), a relatively minor offence, instead.
Ahmedabad sessions court is likely to frame charges against the seven accused on August 8.
In December 2012, after evading repeated summons, Asaram had deposed before the Commission where he termed allegations against him as a conspiracy to malign his Ashram and 'Hindu religion'.