Mysterious deaths of children at the ashram of one of the most beloved spiritual guru has shocked India. The incidents started from the 6th of July when a couple of students were found dead on the riverbed near the gurukul of Sant Asaram Bapuji in Ahmedabad.
The incidents did not stop there as more students were found with the same fate at the ashram in Chindwara in Madhya Pradesh.
What is disturbing is that the cause of death has not been identified. The latest victim is 5 year old Vedant who was found dead in the bathroom in a similar manner as the other child who died in the adjacent bathroom two days ago.
Sant Asaram Bapu is loved by many and has a huge following worldwide. It is a shame that such incidents are occurring in his ashrams. I do not intend to bad mouth the saint or cast doubt on his intentions but the series of events are indeed very sad.
The matter is extremely serious as the ashrams house several students. What is even more strange is that after the first students died, there seemed to have been no concrete investigation. At least the public did not get answers to their queries regarding the deaths.
Parents who have entrusted the ashram with their wards had gone on a rampage and the mob turned violent and burnt buses in the streets of Ahmedabad. Even after a state wide bandh was called in protest of the deaths and angry demonstrators demanded a CBI investigation into the matter, nothing has really happened.
In the evening news today (1st August) the authorities were still in the process of flying in the experts to get the detailed post mortem report. It is strange that the doctors are saying that the child who died today (1st August) has no injury marks on him apparently. The situation could be anything…from poisoning to natural death.
In India there are several religious sects that run gurukuls for educating children. Many have been accused of promoting extremist views and misleading the students. Apart from this, these sects are also seen as facades behind which illegal activities like drug abuse, human trafficking, etc, are carried on.
Hence when a thing like this happens the ordinary citizen always think the worst.
