THE DAY A NATION WELCOMED ITS OWN SHAME


There are moments when a society exposes its rot so completely that no further proof is needed.
Yesterday was one such moment.


A convicted rapist — Asaram Bapu, found guilty of sexually assaulting a minor — was released on bail on “medical grounds.”
What followed was not reflection. Not restraint. Not remorse.


It was a celebration.


The video shared by ABP Live shows Asaram in a vehicle, adorned with garlands, surrounded by cheering devotees filming his “return.”
In that single frame, india didn’t just welcome a man.


It welcomed its moral decay.




FROM CONVICTION TO CELEBRATION — A NATION’S MORAL COLLAPSE


Asaram was convicted in January 2023 for raping a teenage girl inside his ashram.
The court called the crime “inhuman, exploitative, and perverse.”


Two years later, in January 2025, he walks out on bail — not exonerated, not acquitted — just medically released.
And instead of introspection, we got adoration.


People lined up like disciples greeting a god.
Phones raised. Flowers thrown.


The predator became the messiah again — because in this country, faith forgives what the law condemns.




WHEN RAPISTS ARE HEROES AND SURVIVORS ARE INVISIBLE


The survivors of sexual violence in india fight not only for justice but for dignity — often for their very existence.
They are ostracized, disbelieved, and humiliated.


Meanwhile, their abusers are worshipped, quite literally.

Asaram isn’t just one man — he’s a reflection of the grotesque truth that india refuses to confront:
We glorify power, not purity. We protect reputation, not justice.


It’s a country where a survivor’s face is hidden behind blur filters — but a rapist’s release becomes breaking news footage with drum rolls.




THE VIDEO THAT BROKE THE INTERNET — AND THE NATION’S CONSCIENCE


The viral clip from ABP Live is chilling.
Inside the car: Asaram, frail but grinning, draped in flowers.
Outside: cameras, chants, and the unmistakable air of devotion.


Every cheer, every garland, every “Bapu Zindabad” is an insult to every survivor who ever walked into a police station trembling but determined.


It’s a collective slap to justice — a message that crime fades faster than faith, and that even a rape conviction can be redeemed if you wear the right robe.




THE court SAID “NO CONTACT WITH FOLLOWERS.” THE COUNTRY SAID, “WELCOME HOME.”


Asaram’s bail conditions were clear:

  • No meeting with followers.

  • No public gatherings.

  • No tampering with evidence.


Yet, here we are — videos circulating, crowds gathering, devotees worshipping him like a demigod — while the system shrugs.

This isn’t a violation. This is mockery.


Of the judiciary. Of the survivor. Of every law that claims to exist in this republic.

It exposes not just the weakness of enforcement, but the rotting of social morality.




RELIGIOUS IDOLATRY OVER MORALITY — INDIA’S BIGGEST BLINDNESS


Something is terrifying about a society that confuses godliness with goodness.

Asaram was not just a spiritual leader; he was a system.


A machinery of blind followers, political patrons, and endless immunity.
Even after his conviction, thousands refuse to believe he did anything wrong — because faith has replaced facts.


India’s biggest crisis isn’t pollution, inflation, or corruption.
It’s devotion without discernment.




IF THE CONVICTED WALK FREE, WHAT DOES JUSTICE EVEN MEAN?


The judiciary gave Asaram bail for medical reasons.


Fine. But where is the supervision?
Where is the accountability for violating conditions?

Why is a man convicted of rape being allowed to stage a victory parade?
Why are police officers not dispersing the mob but silently watching?


If this is how justice works — if predators can turn legal leniency into public celebration — then what message are we sending to survivors?


That their trauma is temporary, but patriarchy is permanent.




THE SURVIVOR STAYS SILENT — THE NATION DOES TOO


Remember, Asaram’s victim was a teenager.


She faced years of public shaming, death threats, and social exile — just for speaking truth.
She fought against power, money, and the machinery of godmen who believe holiness grants them immunity.


And today, while her abuser is cheered by thousands, her voice is buried in silence.

This is not justice delayed.
This is justice betrayed.




WHEN CRIME BECOMES A CULT


India’s relationship with its godmen is pathological.
No matter how many crimes they commit — rape, murder, fraud — they return, rebranded as martyrs of the system.

Gurmeet ram Rahim was “welcomed” on furlough.


Asaram gets garlands on bail.
And millions continue to kneel, thinking divinity excuses depravity.


In this land of a thousand gods, we’ve made space for devils too — as long as they wear saffron and smile for the camera.




EPILOGUE: A COUNTRY THAT CANNOT CHOOSE BETWEEN god AND JUSTICE WILL LOSE BOTH


India’s crisis is not just legal — it’s moral.


When a convicted rapist gets a hero’s welcome, it’s not his redemption we’re witnessing — it’s our collapse.

Justice has become a photo-op.


Faith has become blind.
And society has become complicit.


The survivors fight for the truth. The rapists get flowers.
And the rest of us scroll past, pretending outrage is enough.


But here’s the truth we can’t tweet away:
In a country that celebrates its rapists, every woman is on parole.





Find out more: