Ex-aide accuses Asaram Bapu’s son of forgery

Ram Parmar

The Gaoshala at Virar; (inset) the way leading to the gaoshala A former personal assistant of Narayan Sai, son of spiritual leader Asaram Bapu, has lodged a complaint with the Virar police, alleging that Sai forged his signature in a land deal in Virar in 2005. He further alleged that Sai has been threatening him to “keep quiet” or else his life would be in danger. Mahendrasinh Chawla (30), a resident of Panipat in Haryana, worked as PA to Narayan Sai from January 2001 to August 2005. Due to the nature of his work, Sai took him to various places in India. In February 2005, Sai visited Vasai for a discourse, and following the demand of devotees, decided to start a gaoshala (cowshed) in Kumbharpada, Virar, on a 10-acre plot. According to Chawla, without his knowledge Sai allegedly forged his signature on the agreement papers to set up Shri Narayan Sai Trust to manage the gaoshala. But the gaoshala was on government land, and in July 2005 the Virar grampanchayat issued a demolition notice since the cowshed was illegal. “It was then that I learnt my name was involved and that Sai had forged my signature,” said Chawla on phone from Panipat, where he now works as an insurance agent. “When I confronted Sai about it, he told me to keep quiet,” said Chawla. “In August 2005 I quit my job and returned to Panipat,” he added. Mahendrasinh Chawla, the complainant “Before that, Sai had also sent me to learn black magic at a Ranchi temple, where a 75-year-old tantrik was supposed to train me. “But the tantrik refused to teach me black magic as I was young (then 24),” said Chawla who is now 30. “I am ready for a narco test and demand that Narayan Sai should also take the test,” Chawla alleged. WHY NOW? When asked why he decided to lodge a police complaint three year after the incident, Chawla said that after hearing of the four children who died in  Asaram Bapu’s ashrams in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, he decided to reveal ‘a different side of Narayan Sai’. Chawla claims that Sai has been threatening him all along, and that he received the last threatening call on July 30 this year. “I gathered courage and complained to the Virar police on August 15 against Narayan Sai and his cronies,” said Chawla. “My signatures were forged on the documents to make it appear as if I am a party to Narayan Sai’s working style,” said Chawla. Efforts to contact Narayan Sai at his ashram at Sabarmati in Ahmedabad proved futile as this correspondent was told that Sai was on tour. POLICE SPEAK “We have registered Chawla’s complaint against Narayan Sai, Hanumant Thakur and Rajendra Singh (employees of the ashram who work under Sai) and are conducting investigations,” said senior inspector Pradip Mane of Virar police station. “We may send a team to Gujarat in this regard as the allegations are serious,” said Mane.

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Tags: asaram, asaram fraud, asaram son narayan fraud, narayan, naryan fraud