‘Victims Of Black Magic’

The parents of the two children found dead near Asaram Bapu’s gurukul are not convinced by the ashram’s explanations or the police investigation, reports TUSHA MITTAL

In Mourning The parents of the dead children hold their pictures Photo: Vijay Pandey

IT HAS been over a month since Dipesh Vadega, 10, and Abhishek Vadega, 11 were found dead on the banks of the Sabarmati, about 2.5 kilometers away from Asaram Bapu’s gurukul, where they had been enrolled since June.

The children were last seen at 8:30 pm on July 3. At the 9 pm roll call, they were missing. At 9:15, the authorities called the parents. The bodies were found on June 5.

What happened in those 48 hours? Ashram authorities say they mounted a massive search, so why weren’t they found earlier? “We thought they had gone for the Rath Yatra, so we looked in that direction,” Uday Sanghani, spokesperson for the ashram, told TEHELKA.

The parents, meanwhile, complain that the authorities did not allow them to file an FIR. Ashram workers told them that Bapu had to be informed first. His instruction: wet a T-shirt the boys wore often, turn it inside out, place it where they sleep, and wait for them to return.

The next day, when the children hadn’t returned, the parents went to the police, who were equally casual, asking them to wait. “Even when we finally got an FIR filed, the police did not begin any investigation or enquiry,” says Praful Vadega, Dipesh’s father.

On the night of June 5, the parents received a call from ashram authorities saying the bodies had been found. Praful Vadega and a few relatives found that Dipesh’s head had been shaved, his rib cage was open and his heart was missing. His T-shirt was beside his body, without a single mark. Abhishek lay alongside, blackening with decay.

The parents allege that the police did not collect any valuable on-site evidence. Initial reports claimed “drowning” was the cause of death — in 1.5 feet of water. The missing heart was supposed to have been the work of an animal, but there were no other marks. “I think the children have been victims of black magic, they have been used as sacrifice,” Praful Vadega told TEHELKA. “Abhishek was born with his feet out first. It’s said black magic shows better results on such a child. And this happenend on the night of amavasya,” says Abhishek’s father, Shanti Vadega. “The Gujarat government and police are in Asaram’s pocket, hence no proper investigation is being done,” he added.

After Praful decided on to go on a fast, he was approached by a local RSS member and asked to meet the chief minister. “Modi called for sharbat, and requested us to drink. We couldn’t refuse. He also called a photographer to document the breaking of my fast,” Praful adds. He says Modi told him: “I’ll give you even better investigation than the CBI. You will have to trust me.” And ordered a judicial enquiry.

The Vadega’s are looking for a powerful lawyer. “Asaram is big and powerful. My message to other parents is ‘please take your children out of the gurukul’,” says Praful. “I don’t want other children to suffer the same fate.”