KARTIK HALDAR.

▮ Identity sealed · POCSO §23

Other, All Asaram cases (contract killer)

Rajkot Jail, Gujarat

“Kartik Haldar is a dedicated follower and assassin for Asaram Bapu who was arrested by the Gujarat ATS in 2016 for executing a systematic campaign of witness murder and intimidation. Haldar confessed to killing three key witnesses—Amrut Prajapati, Akhil Gupta, and Kripal Singh—to protect the godman from prosecution.”

Kartik Haldar, a native of South 24 Parganas in West Bengal, was a devoted follower of Asaram Bapu who became the primary executioner in a violent campaign to eliminate witnesses testifying against the godman. Following Asaram's arrest in 2013, a network of senior ashram administrators compiled list of critical witnesses and former insiders who had turned against the cult. Haldar was recruited and funded by this network to carry out targeted assassinations across multiple states.

Haldar was directly linked to the murders of three key prosecution witnesses: Dr. Amrut Prajapati, who was shot inside his clinic in Rajkot in May 2014; Akhil Gupta, Asaram's former cook, shot dead in Muzaffarnagar in January 2015; and Kripal Singh, shot in Shahjahanpur in July 2015. He was also involved in the attempted murder of four other individuals, including former devotee Dinesh Bhagchandani, who survived an acid attack. In March 2016, after a multi-state investigation, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) apprehended Haldar in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

During police interrogation, Haldar made chilling confessions, describing himself as a 'fidayeen' (suicide squad member) for Asaram Bapu. He stated that he did not commit the murders for personal financial gain, but out of religious devotion, believing it was his spiritual duty to protect his guru. Haldar revealed that the ashram network had provided him with Rs 25 lakh to fund the killings and that he was actively plotting to acquire an AK-47 assault rifle to assassinate the police officers leading the investigation, including IPS officer Ajay Pal Lamba.

Haldar's arrest was a turning point, providing judicial proof of a coordinated conspiracy to subvert justice through violence. He was prosecuted in multiple states for murder, criminal conspiracy, and violations of the Arms Act. In subsequent trials, Haldar was convicted of the murder of Dr. Amrut Prajapati and sentenced to life imprisonment. He remains in high-security confinement in Gujarat, while several other cases against him and his co-conspirators are still moving through the courts.