Controversial Godman Asaram Bapu has been accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl who was staying at his Jodhpur ashram in Rajasthan. The girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by the Godman on August 15 last.
The distraught parents lodged a written complaint with Kamla Market police station and a case of rape, wrongful confinement, outraging the modesty and issuing threat to kill, was registered.
The girl was taken to lok Nayak hospital for medical examination and the assault was confirmed. The girl also recorded her statement before a magistrate at Tis Hazari courts under section 164 of the CrPC. The girl reiterated her statement before the doctors, too, who examined her and she provided details about the misdeeds of the Godman.
Since the place of occurrence was at Jodhpur, Delhi Police transferred the case file and the First Information Report (FIR) to Jodhpur police for further action. “We completed all the legalities in this case and there is strong evidence against Asaram Bapu, but the onus is now on Jodhpur police to initiate actions against him.
Though it is a non-penetrative sexual assault, allegations of fondling, kissing and touching the genitals are there and under the amendments effected in section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), it amounts to sexual assault”, a senior police official told The Pioneer.
According to a senior Delhi Police officer, the girl was studying in class 12 at the Jodhpur ashram run by Asaram Bapu. The girl belongs to Shahjahanpur district in Uttar Pradesh and was staying in the ashram since the last five years. According to the FIR, she felt pain in her stomach in the first week of August and she brought it to the notice of her parents. Her parents visited her in the ashram and were informed her parents that a special ‘yagna’ will be performed and she will be completely cured.
The ‘yagna’ was scheduled to be performed on August 13, but was later performed on August 15. “On August 15, he took her to a room inside the ashram where he sexually assaulted her. He also warned her not to disclose this to anyone; else he would kill her parents,” said a police official. Petrified over her ordeal, the girl kept mum and did not inform her parents about the shameful incident.
The girl’s parents later took her back to her hometown. The girl, after a lot of hesitation, revealed the incident to her parents. Her father was dumb struck hearing this and immediately wanted to meet Asaram Bapu. Knowing that he was scheduled to be Delhi from August 18-20, the father, along with her daughter, reached Delhi to meet him. Asharam Bapu refused to meet him despite the best efforts of the aggrieved father. The family then approached the Kamla Market police station where a zero FIR was registered on the basis of the complaint. The victim was later taken to lNJP Hospital where sexual assault was confirmed. The victim’s statement has also been recorder under section 164 of CrPc before the designated court
The FIR at Kamla Market police station mentions sections 342, 376, 354, 506, and 509 of the IPC and have also added section 8 of the Prevention Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) that deals with non- penetrative sexual assault on minor children. “There is a strong case against Asharam Bapu as the sequence of events backed by the statements and the medical examination of the girl point towards the commission of the crime. Jodhpur Police just needs to confirm the physical presence of the God man on August 15 in his Jodhpur Ashram and take legal actions against him”, a Central district police official further added.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson from Asaram Bapu, Neela Dubye, said it was a conspiracy to malign his image. “This is entirely a fake thing. let investigations take place and let the result come. There could be a group behind the story and the group could be those who don’t tolerate the Indian culture should increase throughout the world,” she said.