While it was his despair at the lack of support from his ‘god’ Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi that ostensibly led suspended IPS officer D G Vanzara to write his explosive resignation letter, reports suggest that the arrest of his ‘guru’ Asaram Bapu in a case of sexual assault may have had something to do with that letter being formally dispatched.
A complex triangle A known supporter of the self-proclaimed godman just like Modi himself was until some time back, Vanzara is believed to revere Asaram intensely.
A report in Mumbai Mirror says it was Asaram’s arrest that was the “last straw” for the former top cop and encounter specialist who has already been under tremendous stress after being moved from Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad to the Taloja prison in Navi Mumbai.
While he allegedly received special treatment in Sabarmati Jail including regular telephonic conversations with his guru, the amenities accorded to him in Taloja are those given to a common criminal. According to the report, Vanzara is believed to have told a relative that he was disheartened that his ‘god’ Modi could not save his guru from arrest. “Saheb (Vanzara) was patient for seven years.
He was moved to the Taloja jail because of dirty politics. And then Asaram Bapu, who for last seven years has been Saheb’s strength, was arrested. Saheb was confident that his god (Modi) would save his guru. But now he is a broken man,” a family source told Mirror in Ahmedebad, according to the report.
An earlier report also says Vanzara would routinely demand milk from the Asaram Ashram in Motera, Gujarat. The ashram has a gaoshala that produces a small quantity of milk every day, considered by followers to be holy.
The report quotes from the CBI’s chargesheet in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter case according to which “Vanzara would not only issue unlawful instructions to his subordinates, but also ask them to perform such jobs as bringing cow milk for him from Asaram’s ashram in Motera village.”
Vanzara was known to be an ardent follower of Asaram even during the period when he led a series of encounter killings in Gujarat. He reportedly carried a photograph of the godman in his cellphone.
