night by Jodhpur police over allegation of sexually assaulting a
16-year-oldgirl in his ashram, official sources said.
"He has been arrested," a senior police official told IANS.
Asaram was arrested after lengthy questioning in his ashram here,
sources said, adding that he would be taken to Jodhpur.
The 72-year-old has been booked under various sections of the
Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the Indian Penal
Code. Earlier, a look-out circular was also issued against him to
prevent any attempt by him to leave the country.
Earlier in the day, the victim's family started a 24-hour hunger
strike in Shahajahanpur in Uttar Pradesh demanding Asaram Bapu's
immediate arrest.
Later, talking to media, Ajay Lamba, the deputy commissioner of
police, Jodhpur, said they would question the guru. The team has
reached Indore and willexamine Asaram's medical report prepared by the
hospital.
Asaram Bapu's son, Narayan Sai, told reporters in Indore thathis
father was "not in hiding" but in hospital."Police are welcome to
question him anytime," he told reporters.
"He is innocent and no rape took place. He is not hiding and has been
admitted due to illhealth," he added, without naming the hospital
where the guru was hospitalised.
On Tuesday, Asaram Bapu was served notice at his ashram in Indore,
Madhya Pradesh, askinghim to appear before police in Jodhpur for
questioning before or on Aug 30. However, he sought more time and
played a cat-and-mousegame with police the whole of Friday.
Since early morning large number of Asaram's supporters gathered at
the spiritual guru's Bhopal and Indore ashrams, as news spread that he
could be in one of thesetwo places.
Fearing law and order breakdown, a large posse of policemen were
stationed at three ashrams of the guru, a Hindu preacher who was born
in Sindh province of Pakistan before his family migrated to near
Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
In Jodhpur, the religious preacher's supporters attacked mediapersons,
seriouslyinjuring two.
Asaram Bapu, who hit the headlines last December for his remarks that
the Delhi gang rape victim wouldhave been spared if only she had
addressed her assaulters as brothers, faced arrest after a 16-year-old
girl lodged a complaint with police Aug 20, accusing him of
sexuallyassaulting her at his Jodhpur ashram.
He has denied the charge with his son saying that the girl
was"mentally unstable".
Asaram Bapu has instead blamed Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her
son and party vice president Rahul Gandhi for his predicament.
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