Ashram deaths: HC order a ray of hope for Vaghelas

The Gujarat high court's show-cause notice to the state government has rekindled hopes of justice in Praful Vaghela, father of Abhishek, one of the two children of the Asaram Ashram gurukul, who had died under mysterious circumstances last year. The HC has asked the government why a probe into the mysterious death of the two children of the ashram should not be conducted by the CBI.

"We are hopeful that lots of things will be unearthed if an enquiry is done by the CBI," said Vaghela while talking to DNA, adding that the enquiry which was being done by the CID in the matter was not satisfactory.

The HC show-cause notice to the state government is in response to a writ petition filed by Shantilal Vaghela and Praful Vaghela, the fathers of Dipesh and Abhishek found dead on the Sabarmati riverbank a few yards away from Asaram's gurukul on July 5, 2008.

"I believe that a narco-analysis which the CID wants to be done on the Asaram sadhaks is also a tactics to delay proceedings in the matter," Praful Vaghela alleged. He further said that there were lacunae in investigation done by the state police in the matter.

"For one, a panchnama was not done by the police; secondly an FIR was also not registered by the police," he said. Vaghela was also critical of the state government's attitude in the matter stating that nothing has taken shape despite its promise that the investigation into the deaths of the two children would be completed within a short period of time.