Asaram Bapu Asaram Bapu

Rahul Sachan, a key witness in three rape cases filed against ‘godman’ Asaram Bapu and his son Narayan Sai, has been missing from Lucknow under mysterious circumstances since November 26. The two police constables Lucknow Police had deputed for his security lodged a complaint in this regard at Thakurganj police station Monday, nearly a month after the youth disappeared.

Sachan is a witness in two cases filed against Asaram in Jodhpur and Ahmedabad and another case against Narayan Sai in Surat.

As per police record, Lucknow police provided Sachan security from May.

The move came after an “follower” of Asaram attacked him with a knife outside Jodhpur court where he went to record his statement.

He had sustained stabbing wounds, while the assailant was arrested from the spot.

A resident of Kanpur, Sachan was living on rent in Lucknow’s Thakurganj area since October. Mohammad Arif, his landlord, told The Indian Express, “Sachan had told me that he is a doctor practising Ayurvedic medicine. He used to live alone. He has not returned here since November 25 and his portion of the house is locked.”

In his complaint, constable and gunner Vijay Bahadur, who was deployed in Sachan’s security, has stated that his phone has remained switched off for about a month.

Bahadur has said that he was deputed in Sachan’s security on November 30. “Since November 30, I have been visiting Sachan’s rented house at Thakurganj but found it locked every time,” stated Bahadur, who is posted with Lucknow Reserve Police Lines.

Before Bahadur, police gunner Amit Kumar was entrusted with Sachan’s security.

When The Indian Express contacted him, he refused to speak.

Bahadur, however, said, “I have come to know that Sachan had reached Qaiserbagh bus stand along with gunner Amit on November 26 and asked his gunner to return. He caught a bus and left for somewhere. Since then he has gone missing.”

The in-charge of Reserve Police Line, Inspector Ashok Kumar Mishra, who was not even aware of Sachan being a witness in rape cases against Asaram, did not make any effort to know about the status of the protectee and granted leave to gunner Amit Kumar.

He was replaced by Bahadur, who did not intimate the inspector about Sachan’s status till December 20.

Lucknow SSP Rajesh Kumar Pandey said Circle Officer, Police Lines, Pratap Gopendra Yadav has been asked to probe the matter. The officer would also verify Amit Kumar’s statement, in which he claimed he had left Sachan at Qaiserbagh bus station, said Pandey.

“Kumar has claimed that Sachan had developed a habit of leaving for undisclosed locations for a few days without intimating him. He would call once he returned. But this time he did not return and his cellphone too remained switched off,” the SSP said.

Asaram and Narayan Sai are lodged at Jodhpur and Lajpore Central Jail, respectively.

Notably, on January 11, Akhil Gupta, a witness in Ahmedabad case against Asaram was shot dead in Muzaffarnagar. No one has been arrested in connection with the incident so far. The Uttar Pradesh government recommended a CBI probe into the murder in July. The agency is yet to take over the probe.

Kripal Singh, a witness in the Jodhpur case against Asaram, was shot at in Shahjahanpur on June 10 and died a day later. Police arrested Asaram’s alleged follower Narayan Pandey in connection with the incident.

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