Landmarks named after Asaram in MP will be richristened, assures Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Nobody is above the law, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said. (File)

Following the conviction of Asaram Bapu in a rape case, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Wednesday that the places named after the controversial godman would be rechristened. Nobody is above the law, Chouhan said and promised “appropriate action” on an activist’s demand that two places in Bhopal named after 77-year-old Asaram be renamed.

“No one is above the Constitution, the law, and the public sentiments. It is a country where the name of Aurangzeb Road has also been changed. Soon, we will take appropriate action on this matter too,” Chouhan said. A court in Rajasthan on Wednesday sentenced Asaram to life in jail for raping a minor girl.

Bhopal has two places named after Asaram — a road crossing and a bus stand, both located near the godman’s ashram near the Raja Bhoj Airport on the city outskirts. Activist Rachna Dhingra, who works for the survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide disaster, made the demand in a video on social media. “I am asking the chief minister who claims to be a big proponent and protector of girls’ rights that the names of this crossing and bus stand be changed,” she said. Another activist, Akshay Hunka, tagged the chief minister in his tweet and asked to spell out the government’s stand on Dhingra’s demand. Replying to it, Chouhan assured to take appropriate action.