ASHRAM SECRETARY (UNNAMED).

▮ Identity sealed · POCSO §23

Insider, Trivedi Commission / Asaram cases

Ahmedabad, Gujarat

“An unnamed former secretary of Asaram Bapu's ashram who testified before the Trivedi Commission survived a shooting attack in March 2014. The secretary was targeted in Gujarat after disclosing administrative negligence in the 2008 gurukul deaths.”

This unnamed individual served as an administrative secretary at the Motera ashram in Ahmedabad, managing correspondence, land records, and local trusts. In 2008, following the suspicious deaths of two gurukul students, he was called to testify before the Trivedi Commission of Inquiry, where he disclosed details of administrative negligence, land encroachment, and the lack of hostel supervision, drawing anger from Asaram's inner circle.

Following the filing of rape complaints in 2013, the former secretary continued to cooperate with law enforcement, providing details regarding the movement of funds and the coordination of ashram hostels. In March 2014, while traveling in Gujarat, he was shot at by unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle. He survived the attack and reported the incident to the police, who linked it to the ongoing witness intimidation campaign.

The investigation into the shooting revealed that the attack was planned by the hit squad led by Kartik Haldar and Tamraj, who had been instructed by ashram coordinators to eliminate any former officials cooperating with the state. The shooting was designed to prevent the secretary from giving further evidence in the pending trials, illustrating the extreme dangers faced by whistleblowers.

The secretary's identity has been protected by the police under witness safety protocols, and he continues to live under security. His statements before the Trivedi Commission and the police remain part of the official records that documented the administrative failures of the Motera ashram, serving as a key example of the inner circle whistleblowers who supported the prosecution.