Demolition at fake godman’s ashram
NEW DELHI: The North Delhi Municipal Corporation on Tuesday demolished the temporary structure constructed on the fifth floor of the Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya in Rohini.
The demolition was carried out by civic agency on the directions of the court. “The drive was carried out by the building department in the presence of heavy police deployment anticipating resistance from locals and Dixit’s followers,” said senior North Corporation official.
“The department engaged 20 labours and gas cutters to collapse the cemented and tin structure. We have also sealed a portion of second floor constructed illegally,” said the official.
The Delhi High Court had directed the CBI to investigate the alleged illegal confinement of girls and women at the ashram after the court-appointed committee said inmates there were kept in “animal-like” conditions behind metal doors in a “fortresslike” building.
The court directed the agency to constitute a special investigation team forthwith to take charge of all documents pertaining to the case. At the first hearing of the matter, the court had said the situation at the ashram —Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya —at Rohini in north Delhi was “similar” to the one run in Haryana’s Sirsa, without making any direct reference to Gurmeet Ram Rahim or the Dera Sacha Sauda sect led by him.
A court-appointed three-member panel claimed the institute was making the inmates write letters and complaints asking similar allegations of sexual assaults against their family members.
The committee, comprising Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal and advocates Nandita Rao and Ajay Verma, said the letters and complaints were being used to pressure the family members from initiating any action against the ashram or Dixit.
The panel also told the court that FIRs were being lodged against family members on the complaints and letters by inmates of the ashram. Terming Dixit’s conduct “extremely suspicious”, the court on January 4 had told the CBI to submit a report on his whereabouts.