Asaram's photo worship at Surat hospital sparks row

Surat: A controversy erupted after followers of Asaram Bapu, who is serving life sentences in two cases of rape, purportedly performed a puja ritual by putting up his photo on the premises of Surat Civil Hospital.

The hospital management clarified on Tuesday that permission was granted to disciples of the self-styled godman only for distributing fruits to patients.

However, no permission was awarded for erecting a photo and doing aarti (waving a lit lamp).

The hospital drew flak after a video of the incident went viral.

"This is wrong. It shouldn't have happened. One of our staff members had called me and sought permission for distributing fruits to patients by followers of Asaram, to which we agreed.

However, no permission was taken for putting up the photo and doing pooja on the hospital premises," said Dr Ketan Naik, Resident Medical Officer.

The incident occurred on Sunday near the gate of the stem cell building.

The administration has since removed a security guard who was posted at the gate, Naik said.

Asaram is convicted in two cases of rape.

A court in Gandhinagar had sentenced the controversial self-proclaimed godman to life imprisonment in a case registered against him in 2013 for sexually assaulting a woman disciple, who hailed from Surat, on several occasions between 2001 and 2006 at his ashram at Motera near Ahmedabad.

He was convicted under sections 376 2 (C) (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 342 (wrongful detention), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 357 (assault or criminal force in the attempt to wrongfully confine a person), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Asaram is also serving a life sentence for raping a minor girl at his ashram in Rajasthan in 2013.