Condemning the attack on media persons outside Asaram Bapu's ashram, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today said that law will take its own course and the guilty will be brought to book.
"Any one who is committing henious crime would face punishment....Nor is the government interfering with the probe against Asaram at any level," Gehlot who was today in Jodhpur told reporters.
72-year-old Asaram has been accused of sexually assaulting a minor girl at his Manai ashram. The supporters of Asaram had allegedly attacked media persons outside his ashram at Jodhpur.
Gehlot alluded to possible involvement of BJP and RSS supporters in the incident saying, "Whether it was Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat or Rajasthan, their people or supporters were beating media persons."
He added that, "No one is above law, whether it is a leader, actor, a sadhu-sant...Law will prevail always."
On a question, Gehlot said that he has never been to Asaram's ashram.
"About 14 years ago, I visited one Goshala in Niwai...I have no connection with the godman," the Chief Minister said.
Meanwhile in Jaipur, state BJP Vice President Arun Chaturvedi appreciated the government's move to arrest Asaram in Indore.
Chaturvedi denied any involvement in yesterday's attack on media persons attack saying, "they must be disgruntled supporters of Asaram, who tried to take revenge."
People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), an NGO, demanded that the trial of the case against Asaram should begin at the earliest.
"Trial in the case should begin in a week's time for speedy justice, otherwise if the case is delayed, the accused might built pressures on the victim and her parents," Kavita Srivastav, PUCL convenor, told reporters.
On Rajasthan's law and order situation, PUCL found that there were 384 cases of communal incidents including violence in which 21 people died in last 4 years and nine months, she said.
