New Delhi: Followers of jailed self-styled spiritual guru Asaram Bapu are on the warpath with Rajat Sharma, chairman and editor-in-chief of India TV, and are calling for a boycott of his popular news show, Aap ki Adalat, for being “anti-Hindu”.
Taking to Twitter, the followers started the hashtags #AntiHinduRajatSharma and #BoycottAapKiAdalat, making them trend with more than 101,000 tweets each Wednesday.
They accuse Sharma of using his show, which has been running for 26 years, to defame Asaram, who is currently serving a life sentence for the rape of a minor in 2013.
‘Not sant or gyaani’
The boycott call came after the 15 February show on which Sharma hosted Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living, and discussed the issue of godmen convicted, accused, or imprisoned for sexual assault among other topics.
“Such individuals are neither ‘sant’ (godman), nor gyaani (wise man), nor religious. If individuals in the garb of godmen commit crimes, they should be given twice the punishment that is given to commoners,” Ravi Shankar had said.
Referring to Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the founder of Dera Sacha Sauda who was convicted on charges of rape, Ravi Shankar said, “If the earthen pitcher is not solid, it cannot hold water. If you put water in such a pitcher, both the pitcher and water will collapse.”
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Though Asaram Bapu’s name did not come up, his followers have attacked Sharma for defaming him and other “pious Hindu saints”.
Paid media has become habitual to malign the pious image of Hindu Saints and embedded to target Hindu sanskriti.
Everyone should #BoycottAapkiAdalatShow because #AntiHinduRajatSharma is crossing his limits. pic.twitter.com/BGVgDYsnmj
— Ajay Kumar Shukla (@_Ajayks) February 19, 2020
Not a single follower of Sant Shri Asharamji Bapu has taken approval letter from #AntiHinduRajatSharma whether to follow Bapuji or not.
His questions are just to defame Hindu saints and gain popularity amongst antihindus.#BoycottAapkiAdalatShow pic.twitter.com/oagRHptscz
— Amulya Arora (@KEWALKRISHANAR7) February 19, 2020
#AntiHinduRajatSharma should read the legal details & information regarding DOZENS OF PROOFS supporting the INNOCENCE of Sant Shri Asharamji Bapu !!#BoycottAapkiAdalatShow where attempts are done to tarnish the image of innocent Hindu saints. https://t.co/bDoHz73IiV
— Amrit pandey (@amrithariom) February 19, 2020
Asaram Bapu was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment until death in April 2018 almost five years after the case was first registered.
In her complaint, the minor had accused Asaram of molesting her inside a room after locking it from inside. “When I started shouting, he threatened to kill my parents and closed my mouth,” she said. The child’s parents were followers of Asaram.
In 2013, Asaram and his son Narayan Sai were accused by two sisters of repeated sexual assault over several years at his Surat ashram. Sai was convicted and also sentenced to life imprisonment.
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