Asharam Bapu rape case: Murdered witness's family wants gun license for protection

Singh, who  was recently shot in the back and died in hospital became the latest victim in the case in which a teenager accused the self-styled godman of sexually assaulting her.

"We want the government to give a gun license to his wife or any of us so that we can protect her and the little children. How long will the police stay here?"  Kripal's brother-in-law Shivpal told NDTV.

Kripal Singh is the third witness to die in the case. So far nine people have been attacked. 

Kripal Singh was a friend of the father of the teenager who has accused Asaram of raping her in his ashram on August 15, 2013. His family says he never asked for security, but now they want a license to keep a gun for their own protection.

Some policemen have now been posted at the house, but the family fears that is not enough protection.

The police believe that one of Kripal's attackers, Raghav, was hiding in Asaram's ashram in Lucknow but escaped when he realized that the police were on his trail.

The 74-year-old guru has been in a Jodhpur jail since August 2013, over allegations of raping the teenager, then 16. 

Two months later he, along with his son Narayan Sai, were booked for the alleged rape of two sisters at their ashram in Gujarat's Surat.

In January this year, Akhil Gupta, the cook and aide of Asaram, was killed on his way home from work in Uttar Pradesh.

Last year, Asaram's physician Amrut Prajapati was shot dead in Gujarat. Six others have survived attacks on them.