He may be a rape accused, but the self-styled godman Asaram Bapu is a saint, at least that’s what a Rasjasthan’s Class III text book says.
Asaram Bapu has found his names in the list of ‘Country’s famous saints’ in a Class III book of a school in Jodhpur. Among other saints included in the list are Mother Terresa, Guru Nanak and Swami Vivekanand.
Asaram’s name features in a book, which is currently being used to teach moral science to students of class III in Jodhpur schools. The list of great saints appears in Nyaya Ujala, a book by a Delhi-based publication. The publisher of this controversial book is Delhi-based Gurukul Prakashan.
Jodhpur, Rajasthan: Class 3 book shows Asaram as a Saint in a list of 'Country's famous saints'. pic.twitter.com/48TO2DoHcu
— ANI (@ANI) August 2, 2015
This news prompted social media users to start poking fun at the ‘godman.’
User @PuliArason asked if it was time to declare the Gujarat riots convicts Maya Kodnani and Babu Bajrangi revolutionary.
https://twitter.com/PuliArason/status/627741988771618817
User @kanikagahlaut wrote:
LOL. Not saint of womenkind? @IndiaToday: Asaram shown as great 'saint' in Rajasthan textbookshttp://t.co/P8czntQ2eM pic.twitter.com/KgPBUNOS6I
— Kanika Gahlaut (@kanikagahlaut) August 2, 2015
User @chetan_bhaqat wrote sarcastically that now the bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja ( who too was accused of rape) was planning to join BJP for him to be declared saint.
Asaram declared saint, Shiny Ahuja plans to support BJP to start his journey towards attaining sainthood.
— Sir Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhaqat) August 2, 2015
Asaram along with his son Narain Sai, has been in Jail since 2013 on charges of sexually assaulting his disciples, two sisters, at his ashram in Gujarat’s Surat.
Not so long ago, the godman was in news after a key witness in his case died in mysterious circumstances.
Kripal Singh was shot at in Shajahanpur on Friday allegedly by Asaram supporters and was taken to Bareilly for treatment. He succumbed to his injuries on Saturday.
This was the fifth attack on his witnesses since the the self styled godman was put behind bars in rape cases.