Godman Asaram Bapu charged with sexually assaulting teenage girl
23 Aug 2013 5:19 AM IST
Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu has been booked on charges of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl, who was staying in a hostel operated by the godman’s trust in Jodhpur, Delhi police said on Wednesday.
According to the police, the minor girl submitted a written complaint at Kamala Market Police Station in central Delhi on Tuesday evening. ‘We registered the complaint, but the girl said the incident occurred in Rajasthan, so the case will be forwarded to Rajasthan,’ said a police officer. The complaint was filed as a ‘zero first information report’, which allows a crime victim to approach the police anywhere.
The case is being supervised by Joint CP Tejendra Luthra and Inspector Pramod Joshi is investigating the matter.
The girl’s father is a transporter in Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh. According to the family, Jodhpur and Shahjahanpur police had earlier refused to lodge an FIR after, which the victim came to Delhi and made her complaint.
The cops are approaching the case cautiously so as not to risk hurting the religious sentiments of a community. ‘The complainant said the assault took place on August 15 at a Jodhpur ashram where the girl had gone for treatment,’ said a police official.
‘The girl was studying in a Gurukul run by Asaram Bapu in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district for five years. She is now in 12th standard. One day, she fainted at the Gurukul premises and kept feeling unwell when she regained consciousness later. The Gurukul staff advised her parents to visit Asaram Bapu for her treatment,’ said the official.
Police said the girl has alleged that Asaram took the girl to a separate room on the pretext of treating her illness and sexually assaulted her. She also said that Bapu threatened her with dire consequences.
According to the police, the minor girl submitted a written complaint at Kamala Market Police Station in central Delhi on Tuesday evening. ‘We registered the complaint, but the girl said the incident occurred in Rajasthan, so the case will be forwarded to Rajasthan,’ said a police officer. The complaint was filed as a ‘zero first information report’, which allows a crime victim to approach the police anywhere.
The case is being supervised by Joint CP Tejendra Luthra and Inspector Pramod Joshi is investigating the matter.
The girl’s father is a transporter in Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh. According to the family, Jodhpur and Shahjahanpur police had earlier refused to lodge an FIR after, which the victim came to Delhi and made her complaint.
The cops are approaching the case cautiously so as not to risk hurting the religious sentiments of a community. ‘The complainant said the assault took place on August 15 at a Jodhpur ashram where the girl had gone for treatment,’ said a police official.
‘The girl was studying in a Gurukul run by Asaram Bapu in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district for five years. She is now in 12th standard. One day, she fainted at the Gurukul premises and kept feeling unwell when she regained consciousness later. The Gurukul staff advised her parents to visit Asaram Bapu for her treatment,’ said the official.
Police said the girl has alleged that Asaram took the girl to a separate room on the pretext of treating her illness and sexually assaulted her. She also said that Bapu threatened her with dire consequences.
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