NEW DELHI: A shocking incident took place at Surat’s New Civil Hospital (NCH) on Monday, where medical staff, nurses and security personnel were filmed performing an aarti and bowing before a photograph of Asaram Bapu, a convicted rapist serving life imprisonment for multiple rape cases.The ritual occurred at the entrance of the hospital’s stem cell building and has sparked widespread outrage among citizens and human rights activists, with videos of the event circulating widely on social media. The footage shows an organised ceremony in which attendees offered prayers to Asaram’s photo, placed on a chair.Following the incident, a security guard and a Class 1 officer have been removed from their positions. Dr Ketan Nayak, the hospital’s RMO, confirmed that the video was recorded the previous day. He stated that the security guard informed him about the worship ceremony while he was away, prompting him to immediately order the participants to leave the premises.Dr Nayak said an investigation into the matter is ongoing and emphasised that the hospital management had no involvement in the incident. “The hospital management is conducting further inquiry into the matter,” he added.Asaram Bapu has been in jail since August 2013, following allegations of raping a 16-year-old schoolgirl whose parents were his devotees. Two months later, he and his son, Narayan Sai, were accused of raping two sisters at their ashram in Surat, Gujarat.In January 2023, a sessions court in Gandhinagar convicted Asaram under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for the 2013 rape of a female disciple at the Surat ashram. Earlier this year, the Gujarat High Court extended his bail on medical grounds in one of the rape cases until August 21.