Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, on February 15, was on the popular interactive show ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ anchored by Rajat Sharma, India TV’s Editor-In-Chief.
The Spiritual guru was put on the witness box, where during the course of the interview Rajat Sharma quizzed him on the ways people can distinguish a saint from an impostor.
Referring to Asaram Bapu, the journalist asked how such a man could become a self-proclaimed godman with millions of followers worshipping him as a saint.
Asaram Bapu was arrested in 2013 on the complaint filed by a teenage girl from Uttar Pradesh’s Shahajahanpur. The girl had accused him of raping her at his Jodhpur ashram.
The victim was a student at Asaram’s ashram.
Sharma asserted that Asaram was actually running his business disguising his activities as religious, also acquiring lands forcibly to build ashrams in several cities to pursue his unlawful interests.
Asaram had tried illegal methods to get a clean chit. The ‘godmen’ was accused of threatening and intimidating witnesses which led to the rejection of his bail several times.
However, with the airing of the interview, people took to social media to express resentment against such accusations on the saint.
Twitteratis stormed the platform, labelling the journalist as an anti-Hindu and calling out to boycott the show.
Media should be fair but India TV is biased. ‘India TV’ is anti Hindu saint, there should be immediate boycott of such corrupt TV channel and its license should be canceled.#AntiHinduRajatSharma#BoycottAapkiAdalatShowpic.twitter.com/BWcHN51TNE
â CA Deepanshu Goel (@CA_Deepanshu_G) February 19, 2020
#BoycottAapkiAdalatShow and its host #AntiHinduRajatSharma !Inspite of being in a responsible post, instead of showing the truth, he tried to mislead people about the fake case of innocent Sant Shri Asharamji Bapu.pic.twitter.com/6hFsBouWld
â Brijmohan Malviya (@BrijmohanMalvi3) February 19, 2020
It is unexpected from a journalist to speak against an saint who is an ideal for many people.If he is a Saint,He needs to give importance and respect all saints#BoycottAapkiAdalatShow#AntiHinduRajatSharma pic.twitter.com/n26SWjxCzH
â shikhaa (@Shikhabhopal) February 19, 2020The Logical Indian Take
Rajat Sharma’s Aap Ki Adalat is known for putting eminent and powerful personalities on the stand and asking them tough questions. The veteran journalist has done so, for people from all political ideologies and a spectrum of professions.
A sound democracy can only function when all its pillars, including the media, are free, fair, unbiased and accountable.
To target a journalist doing his job and asking tough questions, is therefore detrimental to the country, as much as the free press.
